Star Consort
by BigDestiny
Summary: As Burt and Carole grow closer, Kurt's grandmother makes a desperate gamble to restore Kasha's health.  And Kurt has some hard decisions to make when Jute arrives at McKinley to get him back.  AU, sequel to Star Pupil and The Star Prince.
1. Chapter 1

As Kurt walked down the aisles of William McKinley High School, he couldn't help but think, 'my how things do change.'

It wasn't simply that HE had changed though he had, immeasurably since he'd last walked these halls. He'd learned his mother was alive, though in a coma for the foreseeable future. Kurt and his father had both made peace with Kurt's grandmother, who was behaving with a level of tact that shocked Burt. And though no one knew it (though if all went well Mercedes would by the end of the day) Kurt had won his trial at home, earning the right to be named as his HOLINESS, Prince Kurt-Hummel, Water. Which in practice still meant virtually nothing (Kurt really wished he could insist that homophobic people like the Catholic pope refer to him as his holiness, but obviously that wouldn't be happening).

No, there were also changes in the way that other people treated him. Part of it was the continuing rumor that 'Kurt Hummel killed four guys' (which he had, but after everything he'd been through over the summer he was finally at peace with it). But it was also how he carried himself. He wasn't about to get bowled over by any idiot that came along, and his training was advanced enough now that he could easily get out of any situation school bullies could throw at him.

Which was why Finn had insisted that it be Kurt that showed the new guy, Sam, around school. Well, that was the reason Finn gave Kurt. Kurt had asked that Finn keep most of what happened that summer a secret for now, so New Directions wasn't entirely clear on why Finn had decided this. But no one really objected (well Santana did, but Mercedes pointed out that Sam needed to find his way to more places than the janitor's closet), so there they were.

It was actually kind of fun. Sam was PAINFULLY straight (the only stylish thing he did was bleach his hair, and he'd repeatedly denied that), but he was a good guy and didn't mind hanging with the school's gay kid.

"So, that's Miss Pillsbury's office," Kurt was telling him. "Yes, I know that it's intimidating that it's all glass. But you don't want to take her anything serious in any event, so it isn't like you need privacy-" Kurt caught a glance of trouble up ahead. "And you're going to want to duck with me in a few seconds."

"What?" Sam asked confused. "You're kidding, right? Wanting to make sure the new guy's paying att-"

"Nope," Kurt replied. "Duck now." Sam just barely went down in time to avoid the blue raspberry volley that went over his head.

Kurt would have felt a little bad for not warning whoever was behind him about Azimio's attack. But it was just Karofsky.

"Dude! I am SO sorry."

Karofsky waved off his friend's concern, turning to Kurt irritated. "You think that's funny, Hummel."

Kurt hadn't laughed (and frankly Sam seemed like he was a little in shock), but he just COULD NOT resist winding up the bullies. "Hilarious. You're like chimps performing ballet."

Karofsky was angry, now. "You showing off in front of your little boyfriend, Hummel?" he sneered. "I didn't know Justin Bieber even went to this school."

"I'd be shocked, but I'm sure there are a lot of things you don't know,' Kurt quipped.

"You know, Hummel, I'm really getting sick of you. And you know something else? I don't buy this whole ninja assassin rumor you've got going.' He reached out to shove Sam into the lockers.

His hand didn't make it to Sam's shoulder.

It took very little leverage to shove Karofsky into the lockers himself. And although Kurt never used his powers if he didn't have to, it was worth the effort to latch onto the water in Karofsky's body, just to see the look on the bully's face when he realized his feet had left the ground.

"You know something, Karofsky?" Kurt replied calmly. "I'm getting kind of sick of you, too. So here's the deal. You stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours, and any slushies that accidentally hit you are not my problem. Clear?"

Kurt noticed there was water spilling out from his control. He thought briefly that maybe he'd actually scared the shit out of Karofsky, but the location was wrong. Wrong for urine, too; the liquid was pooling there but it was going up. Kurt tried to remember what his grandmother had taught him about sensing liquids, and determined there was a shape to what he was sensing.

Kurt realized with a start that it was penis shaped.

Going up.

Kurt dropped the aroused bully with a disgusted gasp. "Oh my Lady Gaga, you are in serious need of psychological help!"

Karofsky didn't argue, he just took off running towards the bathroom. Kurt didn't want to think about what he was going to be doing in there.

Kurt turned to Sam who still seemed to be in shock. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sam gaped. "Man, that was intense. You're amazing, dude."

"Indeed. Your grandmother is an impressive teacher."

Kurt turned around at the familiar voice, to see the last person he'd ever expected to see at McKinley.

Prince Jute, Fire. The grandson of the president of Kurt's other home planet, Sateen. Kurt immediately flashed back to his summer there, with the only other gay prince in their generation. Remembered passionate kisses brought to an end only by the knowledge that he'd likely see Jute little to never after that.

And yet here he was. In Earth clothes, though Kurt could tell just by looking that Jute's button down, slacks, and dress shoes were likely to each cost more than Sam's entire outfit.

Kurt had had enough of thinking though, and rushed to embrace Jute. "Jute! What are you doing here?"

"I should think that was obvious," Jute teased. "I'm here to see you. How do you feel seeing me? I hope you're glad."

"I am." Kurt realized he'd forgotten his manners and turned to face Sam (though he never quite left Jute's arms. "Sorry, this is one of my new classmates, Sam Evans. Sam this is Jute-" Kurt turned to Jute, wondering how he should get around the fact that Jute didn't HAVE a last name. Should have introduced Evans as just 'Sam'.

Jute had apparently thought of that though. "Jute Anderzohn."

"Anderson?" Sam asked, confused by the distinctly Sateen pronunciation Jute had used.

"That's right," Jute told him, smoothly ignoring his flub.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to catch up," Sam told them with a knowing smile.

"Oh, you don't-" Kurt insisted. He'd promised Sam would get a full introduction to McKinley and Kurt was intent on fulfilling his promise, Jute or no Jute.

"I'm good," Sam assured him. "I already know more about this place than I did about my last school. Thanks."

Kurt watched Sam walk away for a while, before turning his attention to Jute. Already he could feel his body responding to the young man's touch. "Anderson?" Kurt asked, as much as for a diversion as pure curiosity.

"[As you know, Anderzohn was the founder of my family]," Jute told him, switching back into Sateen in case anyone overheard. "[Just as Tyvek was for you. I had a first name picked out as well, but I neglected to realize you'd likely use my given name before I could reveal my alias.]"

"[Well, if you'd given me some warning that wouldn't have happened]," Kurt pointed out playfully.

"[True enough. I'll just have to tell people that Jute is my middle name.]"

Kurt smiled, brushing a soft curl of hair off of Jute's forehead. He gazed into Jute's eyes and realized that he was truly happy, in a way he hadn't been since he'd come home. "I've missed you."

Jute gently brushed his lips against Kurt's. Despite their combined combat capabilities, Kurt knew that two boys kissing in one of the school hallways was asking for trouble.

But he couldn't bring himself to stop.

* * *

Sam managed to find his way to the choir room with no difficulty. Where he was promptly intercepted by a concerned Mercedes, who clearly wasn't expecting him to turn up alone.

"Hey," she exclaimed. "Where's Kurt?"

Sam smiled, wanting to make it clear that he wasn't the type of guy to be bothered by seeing a little guy-on-guy action. "Last I saw him he was making out with his boyfriend. He might even still be there."

It was a little surprising to see how shocked Mercedes seemed by the comment. "What? Kurt doesn't have a boyfriend."

Mercedes was loud enough that everyone in the room (which was currently the two of them, Santana and Brittany, Puck, Artie, and Quinn) suddenly turned towards the two of them, unexpectedly interested in what Sam had to say.

Sam was confused. "I thought- I mean, they WERE kissing. Is Kurt easy? Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Hell no, there isn't," Santana told him with a grin. "So Kurt's slutty now? One more for our team." She high-fived Puck and Brittany, though Brittany seemed confused.

"Kurt isn't slutty!" Mercedes insisted, though it was clear she was thrown by what Sam had just said. "He just- Hell, I don't know. But he's definitely not slutty."

"He wasn't slutty this morning," Brittany told them. "Maybe he got a new bra. That always makes me feel slutty."

Sam didn't know how to respond to that. He finally turned back to Mercedes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems. Kurt's a great guy, and I don't mind if he has a boyfriend. Or a whatever. I wouldn't have said anything if I thought everyone was going to freak out."

Mercedes calmed herself at that. At least a little. "No. Thanks for telling us. Believe me, when I see that boy-" She broke off when she heard the door open. Two couples entered: Tina and Mike, and Rachel and-

"Finn!" Quinn exclaimed. "What's this about Kurt having a boyfriend?"

But Finn seemed just as confused as the rest of them. "What are you talking about? Kurt doesn't have a boyfriend."

Mercedes strode up to him, irritated enough that Finn took a step back and Rachel actually detached herself from him. "Look here, white boy," Mercedes snapped. "You're going to tell me who that guy Kurt's macking on, and why you all didn't tell me about him. Or I swear to God, I WILL! CUT! YOU!"

"JEEZ!" Finn exclaimed, shocked. "What the hell is going on? I swear I didn't know Kurt was- Kurt's macking on some guy?" It was clear, to Sam at least, that Finn honestly didn't know what was going on.

"I don't know what to tell you," Sam said. "I bowed out right after Kurt introduced us-"

"Well, that gives us a name," Artie pointed out. "What is it?"

"Anderson. That's his last name," Sam told them. "His first name…. now what was it? Jude, or something."

Well, that certainly jogged Finn's memory. His eyes snapped to Sam, startled. "Jute? Jute's here?"

"Yeah, that's it. Jute." Sam grinned. "Don't know how I forgot such an awesome name."

Rachel turned to Finn and frowned. It was obvious she didn't know what was going on, either. "Finn, I think Mercedes and the rest of us would like to hear why neither you nor Kurt felt it necessary to tell us that he had a boyfriend."

Finn shook his head, frustrated. "Kurt doesn't HAVE a boyfriend. Look, we met Jute this summer when we went to visit Kurt's grandmother. And yeah, Jute wants in Kurt's pants. But Kurt said no because he didn't want to deal with the long distance relationship thing."

"Well, he's here now," Sam said.

Finn frowned, concerned for reasons Sam couldn't guess. "Yeah, I wonder why."

"His penis probably couldn't reach all that way," Brittany noted, detached as ever. "Kurt's could but I think his penis has that fear of closed in spaces. He didn't want to put it in me when we were dating, and it got all sad looking."

Finn winced. "Okay, can we PLEASE not have a conversation about Kurt's penis?"

"Not unless you want Brit to leave the room," Santana teased.

Everyone's eyes went to the door when they heard it open. Sam exhaled in relief when he saw Kurt walk in with Mr. Schue. "Kurt!" he exclaimed. "What's the deal, man?"

"Yeah," Puck chirped. "I thought we were buds. Why didn't you tell anybody you got some hot foreign tail."

Kurt's brow furrowed, briefly puzzled. Once he parsed out what Puck was saying though, his shoulders slumped. "I suppose I asked for that by being as tardy as I was."

Mercedes looked more upset than angry at that point, though. "Kurt," she intoned, sounding very subdued. "You can't blame everyone for being curious. Ever since- For the last couple of months, you've pretty much been shutting everyone out."

Sam didn't know what THAT was all about. But Kurt seemed to crumple in on himself like he was a little bit ashamed. "I know. I have a lot I need to tell you and I think I'm finally ready to talk about it. I was actually going to invite you over today, but with Jute showing up out of the blue I was hoping you could come over tomorrow."

Mercedes frowned a little, not quite satisfied. But it was clear that was the best she was going to get for now. "Sure thing, boo."

"Wait, that's it?" Finn asked, affronted. "Kurt, I know things are messed up between my mom and your dad-"

"What's the deal with that, anyway?" Tina asked.

Kurt and Finn exchanged a tense look. Kurt briefly looked disgusted as he noted, "Finn, the reason I'm putting off Mercedes tonight is so the four of us - You, my dad, your mom, and myself - can discuss recent events as a family."

Finn winced, shamed. "Right. Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to come in here and find out from Sam that you were making out with some guy."

Kurt actually looked worried at that. "Jute's not some guy. That's kind of the problem."

"Kurt, this boy isn't pressuring you to leave school and move back to your Grandmother's home country, is he?" Rachel worried. "Because we need you in New Directions. We just barely got Sam in once Matt moved away, and I don't know where we'd get someone to be our twelfth member if you quit."

"Well, you're on topic if nothing else," Kurt quipped. "No, he isn't pressuring me. But that doesn't mean it isn't an issue."

"So?" Puck asked. "This guy is offering you a ticket out of this douche-bowl of a town. I don't get why you're not packing."

Kurt smiled at that. "Your concern for my wellbeing is touching, Noah," he noted, sounding genuinely pleased. "But my life is really complicated right now. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life at this point, and all these other factors are just muddying things."

"Kurt's told me one thing about what's been going on with him over the summer." Sam jumped; he'd almost forgotten Schue was in the room until the teacher spoke. "It's quite a story. I was going to give you a standard 'what I did this summer' assignment this week. But from what I've heard, I've decided that this week's theme is 'game changer'. I want you all to sing something that describes a huge life altering moment for you."

Mr. Schue wrote the assignment on the white board, eliciting groans from around the room. Kurt muttered an aside to Finn, and Sam was almost positive he'd heard 'mother coming back from the dead' in his grumble.

Sam though, couldn't really focus on it in his astonishment. "Wait. This club hands out homework?"

* * *

"[Bebe, I don't think this is a good idea]."

Kurt's grandmother looked across her sitting room at the President of Sateen, whom she called friend. She put aside her data pad and refilled his glass. "[Ari, your own hand-picked successor vouched for this procedure. Yes, it's risky. But I think the risk is manageable]."

"[I just don't understand why you're taking the risk at all]," he admitted amiably. "[Kasha is making excellent progress. In a couple of years-]"

"[She's running out of time]." Bebe poured herself some more water, using the moment to get her emotions under control. Aramid was drinking standard tea but clear water strengthened and consoled her, always had.

"[I don't understand.]"

"[Every day, my grandson and his father get closer to Burt-Hummel's new woman,]" Bebe revealed. It would be really easy to hate Carole-Hudson, but Bebe knew it wouldn't be honest. "[She really is a good woman, and I can't fault them for it. But if Kasha doesn't wake up soon it will be too late. Her whole life will be gone.]"

Aramid's face darkened with unease. "[I am sorry, Bebe.]"

Bebe was surprised by that. While she knew that Earthers sometimes said 'sorry' to mean 'condolences' the two words were quite different in Sateen standard. "[What have you done to be sorry?]" she asked, surprised.

Aramid smiled wanly. "[I'm the president of our world. My inactions are surely as damning as what I've done.]"

"[You are a dear man,]" Bebe told him, her smile much warmer than his. She'd learned a long time ago that power didn't equal results. If it did, she herself wouldn't be in this position. "[Which is why I hope I can count on your support in this matter.]"

He nodded. Concerned though he may be, she was convinced that he had her back. "[Of course. When will you be attempting this?]"

"[I need to speak to my grandson. By the end of the week, I think.]"

(to be continued)


	2. Chapter 2

I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I don't know why, but it took forever to get this chapter to the point where I was satisfied with it. In fact, I'm still not sure but if I don't post it I'll just end up sitting on it for god knows how long.

Not so much plot in this chapter, but Kurt finally talks to Mercedes about the events of Star Pupil which is a scene that was long overdue. Hope you like it.

Star Consort - Chapter Two

"Grandmother!" Kurt stood awkwardly at the door for a few moments before finally inviting her in. "We were just about to sit down to dinner, if you'd care to join us."

Bebe could see the dining room the moment she came in. Carole was there, and the two women nodded uncomfortably too each other. "Not wishing to intrude."

"You wouldn't be," Carole insisted. "Kurt asked me over to talk about that prince he likes. You'd really be a big help there."

"Jute?" Bebe asked. She turned back to Kurt, surprised. "I'd heard he was away. I take it you've heard from him."

"He came to my school today." Kurt led her to the dining room, and Bebe ultimately did sit down. While he retrieved additional china and silverware, Kurt explained what had happened. "Jute said he's here for me."

"Clearly. Let him have you?" Bebe asked.

Burt choked a little on his water. Kurt supposed he was lucky his father didn't do a cartoon spit-take. "Kurt's a little young to be accepting marriage proposals," Burt declared. "He may be an adult on Sateen, but he still has a lot of growing up to do on THIS world."

"Of course." It sounded bemused and humoring coming from Bebe. "Still, many levels of having. Jute a charming boy is. Find you the best sex tutor I will," she declared, far too cavalier for Kurt's tastes. Bad enough that Sateen was so…indiscreet about sex. Having his grandmother be likewise indiscreet about HIS OWN sex life made him want to just crawl under the dining room table.

"Sex tutor!" Finn exclaimed, clearly astonished that that was an actual thing. "They have those? Mom, can I-"

"No!" Carole yelped, firmly.

"Bebe, we don't have those kinds of things on Earth," Burt told her. "We don't even like talking about it as bluntly as you guys do."

"Still?" she replied, aghast.

"Yeah, still," Burt answered, looking a little amused at her unamused reaction.

Bebe made two starts at replying, breaking off annoyed both times before turning to Carole with "Apologies," and switching to Sateen Standard. "[Burt-Hummel, I clearly am not going to intrude on how you raise your son. But I am seriously concerned by this. I don't want my grandson starting a relationship with a man without knowing a simple thing like how to perform oral sex without gagging.]"

Finn burst out laughing. And before Kurt could stop him, Finn had translated for Carole. Kurt made a mental note to kill Finn later.

Kurt slumped in his chair. "[Rather a moot point, grandmother. Given that I've now just died of embarrassment.]"

All Bebe had to do was smile to let Kurt know how silly she thought he was being.

"Bebe." Kurt's grandmother turned to Carole, a little surprised. Actually, Kurt was a little surprised as well. Carole found Bebe intimidating, both because of the Kasha situation and the fact that Bebe was so regal in bearing. But Carole wasn't the least bit shy about mediating the disagreement. "Isn't it going to be a little hard finding someone to… 'tutor' Kurt while he's still going to school on Earth?"

"That's right," Burt exclaimed, relief flooding out of him. "Guess we'll have to leave things the way they are."

Bebe frowned, clearly outmaneuvered on this score. That seemed to be the end of the conversation until a thought occurred to her. "Jute always a conscientious student. Will ask for his notes. No doubt, they be more than complete."

Kurt's eyebrows jumped up. Although he didn't want to be 'tutored' any more than his father wanted it, he couldn't resist the idea of seeing Jute's actual notes on how to pleasure a man. "Sure. That would be perfect."

They ate in silence for a few moments until Finn abruptly asked, "So why are you here? I mean, if you didn't know that Jute was here. Did you just stop by for a visit?"

Bebe jumped a little and Kurt saw that look. The one said she was probably overstepping. She only ever looked like that around Kurt, because he was the only one who would actually defy her. But she didn't even look at Kurt as she answered Finn's question. "Finn, remember your conversation with Jute at the hospital. First time you saw my Kasha?"

Finn blushed. Given their previous discussion, it wasn't surprising he remembered the less important moment first. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't know his grandfather would kick his ass if he didn't call Kurt the next day."

This was the first anyone else had heard about THAT little tidbit, and everyone (except Finn, and Burt who was suddenly on red alert) chuckled.

"Wait, you already slept with that guy?" Burt yelped.

"No!" Kurt yelped, more startled than anything. Where did his dad get these ideas?

"I meant IF it happened," Finn hurriedly explained, anxious about having put that lethal look on Burt's face.

"Aramid would 'kick his ass' because I would kick Aramid ass," Bebe pointed out with a smug grin. "Not about that though. Idea yours for helping Kasha."

Finn's eyes went wide, and the rest of his family's eyes turned towards him. "We weren't supposed to say anything until they did more research. Is that actually going to work?"

"Satisfied I am that yes."

Kurt and Burt shared a confused look. "Just what exactly is this new treatment supposed to do?" Burt asked.

"Should let the doctors finish in one treatment," Bebe told him, excitedly. "She would be back and well again."

Burt dropped his fork, and Kurt felt like he'd just stopped breathing. Although he'd known since he'd first seen his mother in the hospital that she would eventually recover from her injuries, this was the first time anyone had an idea as to when that would be. And it sounded sooner than he could have hoped. "How long until they're ready to try it?"

"A new day on Sateen it is," Bebe reminded him. "Can start preparing when I leave here. Ready tomorrow."

Carole gasped; not surprising, she had as much riding on this operation as anyone else. Burt immediately jumped in, not wanting to hurt Carole and nervous about the fact that it was finally going to be time to make some serious decisions. "Maybe we need to talk this over before-"

But Carole shook her head determinedly. "I'm sure Bebe has gone over everything in triplicate, Burt," she assured him. "We really don't need to hold things up anymore."

Burt sighed. He looked hopeful, but he was clearly scared, too. "Yeah, she probably has. Okay, I guess we'll see you tomorrow after Kurt gets out of school."

Bebe nodded. "Needs must go, then," she told them. As she rose, she looked at Burt with and appraising eye and frowned. But before Kurt could get angry at what he assumed was displeasure over Burt's perfectly rational discomfort, she noted that "Off you look to my water's eye, Burt-Hummel. Submit to my doctors tomorrow you will as well." And she was gone before Burt had a chance to object.

Kurt was on his feet an instant later. "I need to go."

"You okay, kid?" Burt asked.

Kurt's head felt like it was spinning, and no amount of water shaping was going to fix it. "Yeah, I- I need to see Mercedes. I was going to tell her everything tomorrow. I need- I have to tell her something."

Burt frowned, worried. "You look really rattled Kurt. I don't think you should be driving right now."

"I can take him," Finn offered. Burt nodded to him, relieved.

Kurt was somewhat less so. "Well, you're just dropping me off. I'm not in the mood to explain everything. And if you're there, you'll just blurt everything out and then I'll have to. Mercedes can bring me home."

Assuming she was still speaking to him by then.

* * *

Mercedes was just clearing up from dinner when the door bell rang. Mercedes didn't think anything of it, continuing her cleaning until her mother called out, "Mercedes! Kurt's here!"

Well that was a little surprising. From what she knew about Kurt's dad, she'd assumed Kurt would currently be on lockdown until the boy sniffing around him had given up. At best, she thought she might get a call later with Kurt sighing about how perfect this 'Jute' guy was. "I'm in the kitchen, babe!" she called out.

Kurt came in, dutifully helping her clean up despite the fact that she'd told him hundreds of times that he didn't need to. "Hey, 'Cedes." He looked unusually out of sorts, though she admitted to herself that it was less unusual since the break-in.

"Are you okay, boo?"

"Yeah." He turned to her with a smile that had as much fear as joy in it. "I have to cancel tomorrow, and I didn't want to leave without telling you SOMETHING."

Mercedes' heart just about stopped; her first thought that he'd agreed to go back to his home country (that Wikipedia seemed to know nothing about) with Jute. "When- Are you coming back?"

Kurt nodded, having not quite realized how worried she was. "I'm only going to be gone for a few days. It's-" Kurt's eyes shone, with tears and more joy. "It's my mom, Mercedes. They made a mistake. She's alive."

Now that was the LAST thing Mercedes was expecting to hear. She put extra effort into putting down the plate she was holding, because she would have dropped it otherwise. "Oh my god, Kurt. That's unbelievable."

"I know. You remember, I told you my dad and my grandmother got into a fight all those years ago? My grandmother doesn't speak English really well, and she didn't mean to say dead. She just hung up on my dad before she realized she meant coma. She's been at home this whole time."

Mercedes recovered from her shock and gave Kurt a huge hug. "Baby, I'm so happy for you. So is this the first time you're going to see her?" That seemed rather odd, as Kurt had been visiting his grandmother most of the summer and had just come home the day before.

Kurt flushed. "No, I saw her the last time I was there. I was going to tell you all about it tomorrow, but-" Kurt broke off with a gasp, and tried to rein in his emotions. "They think they can wake her up. Tomorrow. 'Cedes, my mom is coming back."

Mercedes hugged Kurt again. She was excited of course, but she couldn't forget that Burt was still dating Finn's mom. And she wasn't quite sure how to bring that up.

She shouldn't have worried, because Kurt said, "I know you're wondering about Carole and my dad, and I know I'm worried about that too. But I just can't think about that right now. I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to be sorry about that," Mercedes assured him. God, it was his mom. She couldn't imagine living without hers to begin with, let alone how it would feel to miraculously get her back.

"I know I've been keeping a lot from you," Kurt told her. He was speaking atypically quickly, almost a ramble. "And you deserve to know everything that's going on- But I can't-"

"It's okay." As much as Mercedes was dying of curiosity, there was only one thing that she really NEEDED to know. "Kurt, you've been through a lot the last couple of months. And you haven't been around for me to be there for you. So right now, really the only thing I want you to tell me that you're okay. That's all."

Kurt actually considered that, rather than just replying in the affirmative. That made it a lot more convincing when he said, "I think I am. I know it must have surprised everyone that I even had something like that in me."

"Just that we've only ever seen you just take it when people hurt you," Mercedes admitted. "I guess we assumed you didn't have it in you."

"I didn't think I did," Kurt replied. "I didn't want to think so, not anymore. That training… that was all my mom's doing. That's how we're raised back home."

It was really starting to freak Mercedes out how Kurt kept referring to that other place as 'home'. "So you didn't feel like you belonged there. No big."

"It's not that," Kurt stated. "It- The fighting reminded me of where my mom's family came from. Why I didn't have a mom any more. And it scared me. But after- After IT happened, the scariest thing was knowing that I DID have it in me. That it might happen again."

"So what did your grandmother think when you told her that?"

"She didn't listen," Kurt chuckled. "She doesn't listen to most people. But she was right this time. That's what I finally figured out over the summer. I can't hide who I am, hiding just makes thing worse. Now that I'm fully trained- Well, mostly," he added with a mysterious smile. "I don't have to be afraid of myself any more." Kurt turned away a little, his smile growing warmer. "The training gives you options. Jute taught me that."

Well, it seemed like Kurt was legitimately all right. So Mercedes felt better about prying into this mystery guy. "So yeah. About this 'Jute' guy. Did you actually say no, or is that just what you told Finn?"

Kurt blushed. "We haven't slept together. Although it's safe to say that he knows as much about me as Brittany does."

"Brittany just implied today that she'd seen you naked," Mercedes pointed out.

"She hasn't," Kurt insisted, blushing all the more. "It was all… contours."

"Some big ass contours from the sounds of it."

"Mercedes!" Kurt was laughing too hard to continue.

"Well, I'd better get a detailed phone call when it finally happens," Mercedes declared.

"You've got it," Kurt answered, as soon as he could catch his breath.

"So do I take it you've decided to finally give this boy a chance to catch you?"

Kurt thought about that, too. He couldn't stop his face from growing a little red as he did. "Everyone's telling me to stop worrying about the future," he admitted.

"Good advice," Mercedes told him. And she was going to be a good friend and follow the same course of action. "Especially when you've got all this stuff with your mom happening."

Kurt initiated the hug this time. It felt grounded, like no matter what happened they would be okay. "Thanks so much, Mercedes."

"Any time, boo."

(to be continued)


	3. Chapter 3

So it seems like I'm back to posting at regular intervals. Apparently I can't write when Kurt is happy, and I can't write when Kurt is sad. I need therapy badly.

For those of you worrying that Jute is turning too much into Blaine let me just say:

JUTE IS MINE, BITCHES! *evil laugh*

Ahem… Okay. Now that that little psychotic episode is over (and the disclaimer is also out of the way), on with the show.

* * *

Star Consort - Chapter three

The silence in the Hummel living room was starting to get to Finn.

Bebe had arrived shortly after Finn and Kurt had gotten home from school, despite the fact that it would have been disgustingly early in the morning for her (Finn often thought back to the first day he met Bebe, and the fact that it had practically been the middle of the night for her). Carole had come over to say goodbye, despite the fact that Burt had insisted they were only going to be gone a short time and goodbyes weren't necessary.

Carole had agreed, but the silence was the truth: they weren't sure if the Hummel men were coming back at all.

Finn had finally had enough. "It's almost time for dinner. Why don't we go out to Breadstix and get our minds off all this stuff."

"I'm not really up to going out right now," Carole admitted apologetically. "I think I'm just going to head back to my place. Why don't you call Rachel and take her out if you don't feel like staying here by yourself?"

"Sure. Sure, that'd be great." Except it didn't feel great, despite how much he loved spending time with Rachel. He wished Kurt was here; Kurt was always great at explaining why Finn's feelings didn't always make sense.

Finn was walking his mom to her car when Rachel came up to them.

"Rachel, hi." Finn realized the second he saw Rachel that he couldn't want to see her more.

"Hello, Finn. Mrs.- Hudson."

"Rachel, sweetie," Carole smiled at her, not acknowledging Rachel's indecision. "Finn's going to be on his own tonight, with Kurt and his dad out of town. You take good care of my boy, okay?"

"I will."

After Carole got in her car and drove away, Finn turned to Rachel and noted, "I didn't think I was going to see you tonight. You want to come in? I'm sure Kurt has something in his DVD collection you'd want to watch."

"That would be lovely," Rachel told him, though she looked like she was bothered by something. "Kurt and his dad are already gone then?"

"You just missed them."

Rachel looked confused now. "Really? I didn't pass them on the road."

Shit. Finn wasn't allowed to mention the jump technology, but he didn't want to lie to Rachel, either. He ushered her into the living room while he thought up something vague to say. "Well, Kurt's grandmother came and got them." There. That was true, and explained why both the Hummel vehicles were still in the garage.

Rachel nodded, but she still seemed concerned. "Actually, if you could grab Kurt's Wicked CD, I'd rather just have some background music tonight."

"Sure." Finn ran double time to get the disc, hoping that Rachel meant for them to have an 'intimate' evening in. That would be a thousand times better than dwelling on what would happen when Kasha was awake. But when he got back, his hopes were dashed by the fact that Rachel was still standing there, looking uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

"That was going to be my question," she noted quietly. "Finn did something happen this summer that you don't want to tell me?"

Oh. So they were having THAT conversation. Finn had kind of been expecting it. "No," he declared. "I want to tell you everything that happened this summer. I just can't."

Rachel looked like she wanted to cry. "Finn, I thought that when we decided to be together that we were going to be honest with each other. You even told me about that disastrous night with Santana."

Yeah, he had. And he had Kurt to thank for wording it in such a way that Rachel actually felt sorry for him. That made him even more determined to not let it slip what Kurt had been doing that summer. "I know. And I've got so much to tell you. So much crap went down over the summer, but some of it was really amazing, and it SUCKS that I have to keep it a secret. But I promised Kurt I wouldn't say anything until he was ready to talk about it."

"Finn, I'm really worried," Rachel admitted. "You were somewhere you couldn't even answer my frequent e-mails. And yet they somehow have top of the line medical facilities there? Where did you and Kurt go over the summer? Some Middle Eastern emirate that even Wikipedia hasn't heard of?"

"You googled Kurt's home- country?" Damnit, he almost said planet.

"Somewhat difficult given that you haven't even given us a name to this place," Rachel scolded. "You'd tell me if you went to North Korea, wouldn't you?"

Finn's jaw dropped. He knew everyone had been guessing about what was going on with Kurt, but that was just ridiculous. "Does Kurt look North Korean? Or any kind of Korean?" Though admittedly Kurt didn't look like ET, either.

"I know he doesn't," Rachel snapped anxiously. "I'm grasping at straws."

Finn hugged her. "You don't have to worry. Sateen isn't some evil empire; it's a beautiful place. Kurt just has a lot to deal with right now, and I need to wait for things to settle down before I can fill you in on all of it."

"Sateen?" Rachel repeated, looking just a little mollified by this small bit of information.

Finn winced. "You didn't hear that from me. Please don't tell anyone, Kurt would seriously kill me if I knew I told you even that much."

"Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

Kurt had only been waiting in the anteroom outside Kasha's medical suite for a few minutes when, true to his word, Jute arrived to keep him company. "Jute!" Kurt was on his feet and hugging Jute without even realizing he'd done it. "Thanks for coming."

"This is an important moment for you," Jute answered. "There's no where I'd rather be."

"It's still appreciated," Kurt informed him.

"You look lovely," Jute told him. They both blushed a little as Jute ran his hand along Kurt's shirt. "This reminds me of the paneling in my grandfather's offices."

"That's a good thing?" Kurt asked, surprised. On Earth, most people didn't consider comparing their clothing to upholstery to be a compliment.

Jute nodded, then raised an intrigued eyebrow as he slid his hand under the sleeve. "What is this? I can't see through it."

Kurt didn't know what THAT was supposed to mean. "It's silk noil. You're not supposed to be able to see through it."

Jute smiled at him, naughtily. "I can see your fire through anything, holiness. Well, anything except this. It's fascinating."

Kurt looked down, surprised. Now that Jute mentioned it, his water sense was completely obscured by his shirt. "Well, they used to say silk had magical properties. I guess that's why."

"To the few on your world with a little element shaping, it must have indeed seemed magic." Jute sat Kurt down and curled up next to him. "Did your grandmother say how long this would take?"

Kurt shook his head. "They don't know. No one has ever tried to repair this much brain damage at once before. It could be hours, or it could go quite quickly."

"Hopefully it's soon. My mother wants to have you for dinner, and if you're still here it will make for rather awkward seating arrangements."

Kurt laughed, despite his distraction. "Have I met your mother before?" He knew it hadn't happened recently, but he wasn't sure about when he was little.

"I think she went to your grandfather's funeral," Jute noted. "I didn't go, so of course I can't be sure if you actually met her there."

"There were so many people there that day," Kurt remembered. It had been long enough ago that the intense sadness he felt that day had faded. But he still remembered the confusing mass of people. "If she was there I don't remember. It felt like I'd been introduced to half of Sateen."

"You probably were," Jute chuckled.

"So what's she like?" Kurt asked. "You can get my entire life history off the news net, and I know almost nothing about you."

"Well for starters, when I was born there wasn't three days holiday. And a parade," Jute teased.

"There was no such thing!" Kurt insisted, laughing. Then he paused, pensive. "Was there?"

"You were the first male heir to the Water Standard in a hundred years," Jute told him. "It was a big deal. So yes, in fact there were four parades; I watched them all on the news net after you came back. The children's bubble pageant was my favorite."

"You're making this up," Kurt giggled, though he had a sinking feeling Jute was serious. "And you're getting off topic."

"So I am." Jute looked down, a little self-conscious for once. "My mother has the somewhat uncomfortable distinction of being 'the most beautiful woman on Sateen, now that Princess Kasha, water is unavailable to be looked at'."

Kurt winced. "Yes, that's fairly awkward."

"It's not just about the coma, though," Jute assured him. "People have referred to her as that since she married your father and moved to Earth."

"That's so rude!"

"Being second to your mother is a great compliment," Jute countered. "I don't think my mother has ever minded."

"Well, when we go to dinner, I'll be sure to compliment her beauty without comparing her unfavorably to my mother," Kurt declared.

"I'm sure she'll be flattered." Jute paused briefly, thinking. "I know you wished to talk about me. But there is a thing I've always been curious about. How exactly did your parents meet? No one seems to know a word of it."

Kurt had to think about that. It had been a long time since he'd heard the story and he was so small at the time. "You'll have to bear with me if there are any confusing bits, I'm going off of an eight-year-old's memory."

Jute just nodded, so Kurt continued. "My mother was in advanced training, preparing for the day she would eventually bear the Water Standard. I'm not really sure what all is involved, but there's this meditation exercise that helps you become more in tune with the element."

Jute nodded again. "We have similar techniques for fire. I could teach you if you'd like."

"Maybe after this business with my mother is settled." In truth, Kurt was much more interested in advanced training when it was Jute offering. "Well, at the time there was a fact finding mission to other planets, including Earth. It wasn't well known, because apparently no one thought it was that important or interesting. So your grandfather was really surprised when my mother, who'd never had any exploration or diplomatic training, showed up insisting that she needed to be on that team."

"Really?" Jute exclaimed. "I'd heard stories about how the meditation can sometimes bring visions, but I've never heard of anyone else-"

"Anyone else?" Kurt interrupted. "You've had visions, too?"

"Well," Jute replied, sounding far more blasé than he had any need to. "I have had one, though I don't make it common knowledge."

"May I ask what it was about?" Kurt asked, suddenly dying of curiosity.

"Of course," Jute told him, still with that excessive casualness. "Though keep in mind that the ways of the element are mysterious and may not mean what they mean on the surface."

"It was right after I broke up with Ramie, and I was throwing myself into my studies." It did Kurt's heart good to hear Jute mention his ex's name without any trace of emotional upset. In fact, Jute was looking at Kurt with the oddest smile on his face. "I saw myself in the heart of the fire, as always. But then suddenly the Water Standard appeared in the sky and suddenly unleashed all this water on me. You'd think the fire would go out, but it actually burned all the brighter with the water pouring down on it."

Kurt returned Jute's smile with his own. "You're right. The meaning of that vision is definitely mysterious," he teased.

Jute kissed Kurt's hand, on the palm as was the Sateen way and damn, if it wasn't the most sensual thing Kurt had ever felt. "Your grandmother asked me to bring you my notes from my sex studies. Don't let me forget to give them to you."

"Thank you," Kurt replied. "I don't think I could find myself a tutor willing to come to Earth, even if I wanted one."

"I could-" Jute broke off, recognizing how forward he was being.

Somehow though, Kurt didn't really mind. "I don't want you to feel like you have to censor yourself around me," Kurt told him. "I may be surprised, but I'm not going to scold you."

Jute nodded. "Have you ever had a lover, Kurt?"

"No." Kurt felt his cheeks get hot, but he refused to let himself be embarrassed by such a simple question. "I have to admit that knowing you have YEARS of sexual experience is a little daunting."

"I can teach you anything you want to know," Jute noted simply. Kurt was actually surprised that he could say that without being boastful or pushy. It was just knowledge to him. "I hope that isn't the reason you're holding back with me."

"You know my reasons," Kurt stated, though he was weakening on all of them. "I would just be more nervous about the sex thing if I didn't have other things to be concerned by."

"Kurt, my need for you isn't because I want someone to 'get me off'," Jute told him. "I don't have a scoreboard built into my headboard. I like you Kurt, and I want to taste you because of the 'you', not the 'taste'."

Now Kurt was sure his cheeks were red, but from arousal rather than embarrassment. "I've never thought about it like that."

Jute moved in closer to Kurt's mouth, and couldn't keep his eyes off of it. "Kurt…. Would you like to-"

What Jute could have gotten Kurt to agree to (and Kurt suspected it was a lot) remained a mystery. Kurt had been waiting to hear the sounds of medical personnel leaving his mother's suite, but he hadn't anticipated hearing Kasha herself.

"Burt, don't be ridiculous," Kasha stated as she walked out into the waiting area, her voice firm and unwavering. Hearing it made Kurt feel like he'd been transported back in time. "I want to see our Kurtling. He must have been so-"

Kasha saw Kurt. It felt like the air rushed out of the room, for both of them.

There was no reason why she would even recognize him, but she looked deep into his eyes.

It felt like she was looking into his soul. And that she could see HIM.

Burt's eyes widened a little, but he gave no other sign of concern. "You can see Kurt as soon as you get settled back in your room. You shouldn't push yourself."

Kasha had heard none of it. "Blessed waters." She turned to Burt, her face growing white and frightened. "How long?" she asked. "How long was I hurt?"

"Kasha, you need to rest," Burt insisted.

"No! I want to know." She turned back to Kurt, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm not stupid, Burt. You think I don't recognize my own son? How long?"

There was a long moment of tense silence. Kurt certainly couldn't answer her question. His body was shaking, and it was taking all his control not to cry himself. Kasha turned back to her husband. "Burt, please," she pleaded.

"I-" Burt gave up, nodding regretfully. "It's been about eight years. Ten, on Sateen."

"Ten years." Kasha turned back to Kurt, guilt lacing her expression. "Oh. No, baby I'm so sorry."

"No one blames you," Kurt insisted, though his voice sounded strained and numb. He couldn't understand why he couldn't move. He wanted to hug his mother. Have her promise him everything was all right now. And yet he just stood there.

It was Kasha who finally closed the gap. She raised one had to his face, sad yet astonished. "You grew up so handsome. Kurt… Damn me to the driest place on Sateen! I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you! I'm so sorry." And she hugged him. For the first time in half his life.

Kurt was startled by how much strength there was in her embrace. She wept into his hair, and he cried into hers. "It's okay, mom. The only thing that matters is that you're back." It sounded dull and unconvincing even to his own ears.

Despite the stasis maintaining her normal level of vitality, Kurt was struck by how different this was. He was actually taller than his mother now, and he thought he might actually be strong enough to lift her off her feet if he wanted. He was the one comforting her, soothing her guilt. It definitely wasn't the hug he remembered.

Kurt broke off the hug and tried to re-establish his control. "Why don't you let Dad get you settled in your suite again. I'll go get us some lunch and we can catch up."

Kasha nodded, wiping her eyes. "You're right. Don't be too long though, [little pogol]."

"Never going to be a problem." Kurt looked back at his dad, noticing Bebe's absence for the first time. "Is grandmother all right?"

"Just taking a breather," Burt told him. "Whatever you get for lunch, make sure you get her more than just a senior's portion."

Kurt chuckled weakly. But as soon as Burt had taken Kasha back into her suite his face dropped and he looked as sad as he felt.

Jute wrapped his arms around Kurt. "Are you all right?"

"It's not the same." Kurt had hoped for this moment for weeks. Now it appeared that he wasn't ever going to get back what he'd lost.

Jute's small sigh was loud against Kurt's ear. "I suppose it isn't, is it?"

Kurt shook his head, refusing to let this get to him. "It doesn't matter. I have back more than I ever thought possible. I'm going to be happy today."

Jute didn't look completely convinced by this. "You know you don't have to censor yourself with me, either. Come on. Let go with me, and when you talk to your mom you won't have it hanging over you."

Kurt nodded, his head falling lower with every shake. "It just hit me that half of what I missed was her, and half was how I felt when I had her," Kurt admitted. "I just- I wish I could curl up in her lap one more time."

Jute held Kurt while he cried.

(to be continued)


	4. Chapter 4

Kasha didn't want to stay in the hospital. She didn't want to stay at the Thunder Palace. She wanted to go home. Burt and Bebe insisted that for her own sake she needed to take it easy, but Kasha assured them that the stasis had left her in top shape.

It was difficult to argue with that after she goaded Burt into a duel and ended up mopping the floor with him.

So a little more than ten hours after they'd left, the Hummels were back in their living room which Kasha was examining for changes since she'd been gone. "Oh, you got rid of those awful- I mean lovely- end tables your mother bought us."

"Yeah," Burt noted. "Kurt regularly redecorates every room in the house." Actually, the end tables had been victims of the home invasion but Kasha was damn well NEVER hearing about that.

"I hope you don't mind," Kurt told her. "We didn't change too much at first. But as time went on things wore out and faded."

Kasha's mouth tightened for a moment, but she shook her head. "Of course I don't mind. I- Oh! Who might this be?" Kurt hurried over to the picture his mother was holding, worried by the tone of her voice and her mouth tightening again.

Kurt's jaw dropped. When Carole found out Kasha would be coming back to Lima, she'd volunteered to hang onto the 'family' pictures while Kasha acclimatized to the present. She'd apparently forgotten one.

It was a picture from the first time the Hummels and Hudsons had gone to Breadstix together. Despite Kurt's discomfort at the time at how well Finn and his dad were getting along, when the waitress came around and offered to take their picture together they all leaned in and gave her four warm, sincere smiles.

Burt looked grimly at Kurt, then at Kasha. "Princess, I told you that Kurt and I thought you were dead," he began.

"You did," she agreed, though she clearly didn't understand where he was going with this. "I'd be really upset with my mother if she wasn't already so broken up about it."

"She is. But-" Kurt inhaled, deciding to spill everything in one go the way one would rip off a band-aid. "That guy there is Finn. For a while I had a crush on him. His father died when he was a baby, so I had this in-retrospect-insane idea that if dad was dating his mom that I could get closer to him."

Kasha winced. "That doesn't sound like it could have ended well."

Kurt stopped short, realizing that barring a few bumps things had ended up fairly well. "Well, I'm not interested in him anymore. We're… friends now. Practically… practically brothers."

Kasha turned to Burt, shocked. It was clear she understood what THAT indicated. "Oh."

Burt looked like he'd collapsed in on himself, but he met Kasha's gaze. "Once again it seems like my kid is so much braver than I am. Yeah, Carole- that's Finn's mom- and I were dating. We're not really sure where things stand now-"

"Oh my." Kasha put the picture down and went back to where she'd left her suitcase. "I should have realized- No wonder you all wanted me back at the Thunder Palace- I'll just-"

"Mom, wait!" Kurt exclaimed.

Now it was Kasha who wasn't meeting eye contact. She had her suitcase but she kept flitting towards the back door, then the stairs as if she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing. "It's fine, really."

Burt put a hand on both Kasha's shoulders, halting her sudden fidgeting. "Now look. I know things are a little messed up right now and I'm sorry. We couldn't have handled your… illness any worse. And it's going to take a little time to figure out what happens next. But in the mean time, Kurt's been up all night and you just got out of the hospital. You'll sleep in our room and I'll be down here on the couch."

"Burt-"

"No arguments," Burt countered firmly. "You may be her extreme holiness the water princess, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you drop dead the first day we've got you back. So you're going to go upstairs and rest, and be thankful that you have people that care enough to make sure you take care of yourself."

Kasha's earlier panic had completely dissipated, replaced with a fond smile. "Very well, HUSBAND," she replied with playful obeisance. "I will rest. But ONLY because it's been a very long day for our Kurtling and I doubt he'd get any sleep if he was here fussing over me."

"You're not wrong," Kurt told her as he went to kiss her. He then opened her suitcase and pulled out a nightgown and a SINGLE outfit. "This should be safe to wear when we go shopping for new clothes tomorrow. Have a good sleep."

"You too, [pogol]."

But as soon as she was up the stairs Kurt turned to his father. Clearly uncomfortable but determined as ever. "Do you mind watching her? I have dinner plans."

"Dinner? It's two in the-" Burt broke off, belatedly remembering it wasn't two in the morning everywhere in the universe. "You're having dinner with Jute?"

"His family. Not like that," Kurt added as Burt's eyebrows went up.

"You may not mean it like that, but it's still a big deal." Burt went over to where his son was standing, and tried not to look worried. "So are you two an item now?"

"If he understands and respects that I don't want anything too serious right now, then I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to it," Kurt admitted.

"That sounds fair," Burt replied. He gave Kurt a hug. "Don't stay out too long. I know how tempting it is, but managing the two time zones can be a real bitch."

Kurt smiled softly. "Jute understands that. It's part of the reason why I've decided to go out with him in the first place."

* * *

"[Grandson, the floors here in the dining room are over a thousand years old,]" Aramid noted with a smile. "[It would be a shame if you wore them out now with your pacing.]"

Jute obediently stopped circling the table and sat down. "[My apologies, grandfather. And to you as well, Lifeblood.]"

Bebe waved off his concern. "[Completely understandable. But unnecessary.]"

"[Agreed,]" Aramid noted. "[Kurt-Hummel is quite fond of you. And this evening could not be better planned.]"

"[Father, it might be best for Jute's nerves if you didn't say that in front of Prince Kurt,]" Jute's mother suggested. "[It sounds sinister when you say it.]"

They were all laughing when Kurt's arrival was announced. He entered in a good mood, but was immediately started by, "[Grandmother! President Aramid! I wasn't expecting to see you.]"

"[I was surprised as well,]" Bebe noted, with a quirk of her eyebrow towards Aramid that indicated this was a longstanding peeve.

"[I thought it best if we used this opportunity to toast Princess Kasha's recovery,]" Aramid told them. "[It makes the meeting of our families a little less portentous.]"

"[I hadn't thought of that,]" Kurt told him. "[My thanks.]"

"[Your holiness,]" Jute called out formally, much more formally that Kurt had ever heard from him. "[I'd like you introduce you to my parents. This is my father Casaine, fire. Son of Oeko and Naraya, fire.]" Jute's father nodded with warm welcome but said nothing. "[And this is my mother Princess Blaize, fire. Daughter of Sateen president- Well, you know my grandfather,]" he joked.

Blaize laughed. "[My dear Prince, it is so good to have you here,]" she told Kurt. "[All this time hearing your grandmother talk about you, then Jute talking about you. We are all very happy to see you home again.]"

"[Thank you,]" Kurt told her. "[I'm lucky to BE home again. I suppose it worked out for the best, what happened."]

Blaize was concerned by this. "[Yes, I'd heard there were some difficulties on Earth before Bebe came for you. Of course, we wouldn't pry-]"

"[Of course not,]" Aramid confirmed. "[Besides, tonight is for celebration. We need to forget the past and concentrate on the future.]"

"[I agree completely,]" Kurt replied, with a sweet smile in Jute's direction.

* * *

Carole was a little surprised to hear her phone beep at 2:30 in the morning. Not that she'd had ANY sleep at all up to that point.. It's just that she didn't usually get calls, much less texts, that early. She'd decided that it must have been dying and was heading for the charger when she looked at the display.

One text message from: Burt Hummel.

Carole didn't even bother reading the text, she just dialed the number. "Hello, Burt."

"Carole." Burt sounded surprised, but definitely happy to hear from her. "I just left you a text letting you know we were back. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. I-" Carole tried to come up with a reason for being awake at this hour that didn't make her look pathetic. "I fell asleep during the news, and I was just now heading to bed." Okay, that made her sound pathetic AND old.

Burt didn't seem to mind, though. "Well, it's great to hear from you. I'll let you get to bed."

"Oh, there's no hurry," Carole quickly insisted. "How did everything go?"

"Good, I guess," Burt answered, sounding like he didn't know how to describe it. "Kasha's here at the house, so I'll be taking the couch from now on."

Oh. Carole wasn't expecting that. "So she knows, then?"

"Yeah. She took it about as well as you did."

"I'm sorry, Burt. I know this isn't any easier on you than it is on any of us." Carole wished she could just go over to the Hummel residence and be with him. He'd spent all his time the last few months supporting her, supporting Kurt, even Finn when he was feeling dejected and unwanted. She didn't feel like she'd done enough supporting in return.

"I made my bed," Burt told her stoically. Then he chuckled wryly. "And now my late wife is sleeping in it."

It was probably the stress, or the lack of sleep. But Carole started laughing and couldn't stop. Burt laughed along with her after a moment and it was some time before Carole was able to comment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at that."

"Don't apologize," Burt insisted. "About time I gave you something worth laughing at."

"You have given me plenty of good times," Carole reminded him. The last couple of months had been full of uncertainty. But she wouldn't still be in this if being with Burt wasn't something worth holding on to.

"God, Carole I don't know how I'm supposed to make this decision," Burt admitted. "I don't want to do this to either of you."

"Don't-" Carole had to pause and take a deep breath. Because what she was about to say made her feel like she was having a panic attack. "Don't worry about what this is going to do to us. Neither one of us wants you back because you feel obligated to be here. Just- Just follow your heart."

"Yeah, well right now my heart is telling me it wants to move to Utah and marry you both," Burt sighed.

Carole chuckled a little. "I'll get back to you on that one."

They just kept talking like that, not thinking about the time until Carole realized that she could see daylight from underneath her bedroom curtains. She checked her alarm clock (thankfully she didn't work until this afternoon) and saw that it was almost 6. "Wow. I should let you go. I didn't realize how long we'd been talking."

"No problem," Burt told her. "I wasn't expecting to be back today, so I'm not going into the shop today. We- we don't get to talk that much anymore, I really liked it."

"I did too. But we both need to get some sleep. Good night, Burt."

"Good night, Carole. I- I love you."

He hung up before she had the chance to say it back to him.

* * *

Prince Caysi, fire looked up from his desk when Aramid entered. "[Hello, father. How did my nephew's big dinner party go?]"

"[It would have been better if you were there,]" Aramid chided mildly.

"[I'm sure Prince Kurt appreciated not having all allied and sundry there for his first official date,]" Caysi countered.

"[You're correct, of course,]" Aramid noted. "[Still, you might want to be extra charming the next time you talk to your sister. She's a little disappointed.]"

"[Thank you for the warning.]" Caysi paused, and when he continued it was too casual to be believed. "[So how is Kasha?]"

Aramid looked at his son with a mixture of worry and pity. "[Actually, she stayed home to rest. Which means you avoided the dinner for nothing.]"

Caysi looked down and his face reddened. "[I'm not avoiding her. Really, you all treat me like I have some schoolboy crush. Yes, I find her attractive. So do a lot of people. It isn't a big deal.]"

"[No. I suppose it isn't,]" Aramid admitted. "[It isn't as though she were the reason your marriage ended. Though I think if you hadn't been distracted by her, you might have chosen a more compatible mate.]"

Caysi sighed. "[Father, I have a lot of work today. Could we please talk about something less personal? I find it distracting.]"

"[I'm afraid I'll have to leave then,]" Aramid told him. "[My news is of a rather personal nature.]"

Caysi looked up, surprised. "[Really? What are you planning?]"

Aramid laughed. "[You and your sister make me sound like some sort of crime lord. No, I merely have news about Kasha that you will find interesting. Standard Bearer Bebe is concerned that Kasha may have been away too long to save her marriage.]"

Caysi frowned, disturbed. "[That brings me no joy. I want only the best for her.]"

"[I know. But it's no surprise that I want Jute to marry Kurt-Hummel. And as unfortunate as it would be for Kasha, I think that would be better accomplished if she remained on Sateen.]"

Caysi considered that. "[Definitely tragic, but your logic is impeccable as always. Not that it's anything we should be encouraging.]"

"[Of course not. I just thought that you might want to consider your next course of action, should Bebe's concerns be warranted.]"

Caysi stood up from his desk, all thought of work forgotten. "[Thank you father. I certainly will think on it.]"

(to be continued)


	5. Chapter 5

I know I've already thanked everyone for reviewing, but I want to do so again. You've all said such amazing things so far, and I'm very grateful for your kind words. It really makes it much easier to be motivated to write.

* * *

Star Consort - Chapter Five

"Well, what do you think?"

Kurt made a face, clearly uncomfortable. "Oh, my. I didn't think it would be this difficult acclimatizing you to 2011 fashions."

Kasha looked down at her ensemble and frowned, clearly lost. What she had tried on matched, and suited both her completion and shape. In fact Kasha thought that she looked pretty good. She didn't know what had disturbed Kurt. "Maybe I should stick with something classic, and leave the big trends for another trip."

Kurt blushed, guiltily. "I'm sorry, mom. You just got back, and instead of being grateful I'm haranguing you for not knowing what not to wear."

Kasha smiled and gave Kurt a comforting hug. "Oh sweetie. This isn't nearly as humiliating as when you did it when you were five."

Kurt laughed. "Was it really that bad? I just remember being so proud because I was 'helping mommy'."

"You did," Kasha assured him. "I just wish I'd had you around in the 80s." They both laughed again, and Kasha twirled around. "So what is it? The hemline? The A-line? I know they still wear skirts in the twenty-first century."

Kurt chuckled, but the more he looked, the more confused and lost he got. "I think-"

Kasha raised an eyebrow when he didn't continue. She'd never known him to be reticent. "Suddenly shy, Kurtling?"

Kurt looked up at her, and he seemed to be embarrassed. "You look amazing. I think the problem may be with me. You don't look like you look in my head anymore."

"Oh." She turned to look at herself in the mirror. She didn't think that she looked that different. New clothes and hair yes, but that was nothing. Wasn't it? It occurred to Kasha that while it might be a simple makeover from her perspective, after ten years- "This must look like putting a miniskirt on the Mona Lisa from your perspective."

"I should be ashamed of myself. I call myself a fashionista."

The comment was a joke, but Kasha felt herself growing sad nonetheless. "Kurt I know this didn't turn out like you'd hoped-"

"-Mom-"

"It's okay," she assured him. "It's perfectly normal for you to wish things were back the way they were. You don't need to apologize for being human and having human feelings."

"I just- I don't want you to feel like I'm disappointed in you," Kurt told her. "I really am grateful that you're back."

Kasha hugged him. "So am I. And I still need your fashion sense far more than you need mine, so that's one thing that hasn't changed."

"Kurt. Kasha. It's nice to see you." Kasha and Kurt looked over to see Jute walking up to them. Kasha was surprised to see the Sateen President's grandson in Lima of all places.

"[Prince Jute. It's good to see you,]" Kasha told him.

"Just Jute while I'm here, please," he replied. He gave Kurt a teasing smile. "I'm incognito here, and it would feel awkward being fawned over knowing it's you and Kurt everyone should be deferring to."

"And what brings you to Lima, Jute?"

Jute's brow crinkled a little. "I'm courting Kurt. He didn't tell you?"

Kasha raised her brow as she turned to her son. Granted, the last few days had been rather busy, so she couldn't be too angry at Kurt. She COULD be a little put out, however. "No. He neglected to mention that."

Kurt blushed and lowered his eyes. "I'm trying to bring you up to speed slowly. Jute hoping he'll marry me one day is not slow."

"Point taken," Kasha said, as she lowered her hackles.

Jute was blushing too, though. "I'm really not working that far ahead. Kurt isn't an adult here, yet. I don't want to push."

"And let's hope you remain not pushing," Kasha smiled, with that playful dangerousness she'd inherited from her mother. "I like you Jute, and I don't want to have you erased if you hurt my son."

Kurt winced, imagining Sateen's worst fate befalling Jute: to be literally stripped back down to being a baby. Such a thing was usually reserved only for serious criminals like those trying to subvert the normal Element Standard transitions by attacking a bearer or heir outside of a formal setting. "She wouldn't really have you erased."

"Of course not," Kasha agreed, though she sounded mostly unconvincing.

"Good god," Kurt laughed. "You and dad are a perfect bloodthirsty pair, you know that."

Kasha froze for a moment. Then she continued, hoping to sound perfectly conversational when she added, "I hope your father continues to think so."

Kurt winced. Jute leaned in behind Kasha and noted, "Really, the reason being calm like that isn't convincing is because it's impossible for people to believe that you don't have an opinion on such things."

Kasha rolled her eyes, all previous angst forgotten. "I'll keep that in mind while you're despoiling my son, Jute." THAT sounded conversational, and much more playful than her earlier threat.

"How do you know I'm not the one 'despoiling' Jute?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound offended..

"You're my son," Kasha replied. "It makes no difference to me which position you take, HE'S still despoiling YOU."

"I suppose one can't argue with logic like that," Jute admitted.

Kasha smiled at him. "Let's grab lunch, and you can explain your intentions in further detail."

Kurt went white at that. "He's courting me. What he intends to do to me beyond that is something I don't really want my mother knowing about."

"Of course, darling." It was really good to be back.

* * *

Rachel knew that she was risking the wrath of Kurt, but she couldn't help herself. She'd asked her dads about this 'Sateen' that Finn said Kurt was from (after swearing them both to secrecy) but neither of them had heard of it. So she'd taken to her computer to find answers.

After all, she promised Finn she wouldn't tell anyone about the information she had. She never said that she wouldn't try looking for more.

Her search wasn't going very well though. Google had over five million results, most of which were about fabric. Facebook had a lot of people named Sateen but as with Google none of them were places. She even looked up names of countries on Wikipedia in case Finn had somehow mangled the real name of Kurt's homeland. But there was nothing even close.

So there were basically two options. Either Finn had no idea where he'd gone this summer, or Finn had lied to her.

* * *

"[Mr. President.]"

Aramid looked up from his desk in the Presidential Palace. "[Captain. Come in, please.]"

The Captain of the Presidential guards entered Aramid's office, though he remained at attention in front of the President's desk. "[Your message said it was urgent, and completely confidential.]" Captain Rush hadn't liked the sound of it.

He was apparently right to feel thusly. "[I'm afraid it's becoming necessary to meddle in the life of Prince Kurt-Hummel, water. Again.]" Aramid took notice of the way Rush's shoulders drooped a little at that. "[My apologies.]"

"[It is my duty to obey your orders]," Rush told him, breezing through his disappointment. "[No matter how much I wish they weren't necessary. Shall I seek out another group of Earthen reprobates?]"

"[No,]" Aramid told him. "[The Water Standard Bearer will have her own people going over this attack. I want as little evidence left behind as possible. And no loose ends.]"

Well, that sounded just awful. But Rush revealed none of his reluctance. And he never would. "[As you wish, Mr. President. What do you want of me?]"

* * *

Kurt was sitting in his backyard when Mercedes arrived. "Hey, boo. What's this?"

Mercedes sat down opposite Kurt, who had a child's tea party set up in front of him. Kurt looked up at her and smiled. He was happy as always to see her, but she could tell that he was nervous. "Hello, Mercedes. I went clothes shopping with my mom this afternoon. I guess I was feeling nostalgic."

"I remember you talking about doing this when you were a kid," Mercedes told him. "I never thought I'd actually see it."

Kurt looked down at the empty china cup in front of him. "When you were a kid, did you ever think that maybe your imagination wasn't enough? That you really wanted it to be real?"

Mercedes was confused by the random question. "I- I guess so. I don't really remember. Kurt, why are you asking me this?"

"It's time, 'Cedes," Kurt told her quietly. "Everything you wanted to know. This seemed like the best place to start."

Mercedes' eyes widened. "Okay. So how are we going to do this? I don't really know enough about what's going on to play question and answer."

"Which brings us to the tea party," Kurt replied. "This one, not that inappropriately named political movement." Kurt took the lid off the teapot, making a little show of spinning it upside down before he set it down and put on the lid. "Now tea is a little beyond my skill set. But I can manage a little by way of refreshments."

Kurt filled the cup in front of Mercedes with the teapot that had definitely not had water in it a second ago. There was a moment of stunned silence, then Mercedes quipped, "So that's the big secret. Your grandmother is Harry Houdini's widow?"

Kurt looked up at her, his emotions wavering between hysterical amusement and gaping disbelief. "My grandmother was born twenty years after Harry Houdini died."

"Has it really been that long?" Mercedes was amazed sometimes at the things Kurt had crammed into his head. Honestly, until that moment Mercedes hadn't even been completely sure Harry Houdini wasn't a fictional character.

"Mercedes, I'm trying to tell you something about myself that's incredibly personal. Please try to be serious."

"Sorry. So how did you do that?"

"It's-" Kurt inhaled nervously. "It's part of who I am. I move water, the way my mom does. The way my grandmother does, although they're both better at it than I am."

Mercedes couldn't possibly believe that. "Kurt, what are you talking about? You're trying to tell me you're a mutant or something?"

Kurt lowered his head again. "Alien, actually."

Okay, Kurt was clearly messing with her. Mercedes was actually a little annoyed. "Come on. Did Finn put you up to this?"

Kurt frowned at her, confused. "What?"

"Kurt, I know you've got a lot to deal with right now," Mercedes reminded him. "And I told you I'd wait until you were ready to talk about it. You don't have to be telling me all kinds of crazy stories in the mean time."

Kurt winced. "I know this sounds like a crazy story. But it's the truth. That's why they were able to save my mom. It's why Finn hasn't been able to tell you what happened this summer. And why I didn't tell you about Jute earlier."

"Jute." That's when it clicked. "So Jute's from outer space too? That's why Finn was so surprised when he showed up here."

Kurt nodded. "Going back and forth isn't that hard. But setting up on Earth for any length of time is a big deal. You need ID, money-"

"Kurt, I don't really care about how hard it is to get a work visa here!" Mercedes exclaimed.

Kurt jumped, startled. "Right. I'm getting off track. What do you want to know?"

Mercedes couldn't believe that Kurt was being so calm about this. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about this. No, never mind. I'm glad you didn't tell me about this."

Kurt's face paled. "What?"

In the back of her mind, Mercedes knew that she should feel badly that she was putting THAT look on her best friend's face. But she was completely freaked out. "I've always known you were different; even before you came out I knew you weren't like all the other guys. But I didn't mind, because I knew deep down that you were a good person."

"Mercedes-"

"I thought that no matter what else happened, deep down I knew who you were."

"You do," Kurt insisted. "I was born on Earth, I've spent most of my life in this little hick town. Except for the odd trip someplace else, you know everything there is to know about me."

Mercedes cut off Kurt's declaration. "Stop it! This isn't like you being gay, or not believing in God. I don't even know you!"

"I'm still the same person I've always been," Kurt declared.

"No, you're not!" Mercedes replied. "You're not a person at all!"

Kurt recoiled like he'd been slapped. "No."

Mercedes pulled her emotions back as far as she could. She couldn't get over how she felt, but this WAS still her friend. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I need to go, before I say something else I regret."

She headed for the back door of the house, and Kurt panicked. Bad enough that Mercedes was upset with him, he couldn't let her leave if she was going to tell everyone his secret. "Stop!"

Mercedes did stop; she literally couldn't get past the top step of the porch. She held out her hand and pressed, it was like pushing against a brick wall. "What is this?"

"Mercedes, I can't let you leave like this," Kurt told her frantically. "It's more than just my secret. It's my mom, and my dad. I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone where I came from. No matter how much you despise me."

"I will," Mercedes promised, her voice quaking. "Just- Just let me go. Please."

Kurt dropped his hand and shield, shocked to realize that Mercedes was actually afraid of him. As soon as she realized she could get back on the porch she ran.

Kurt ran after her. "Mercedes, wait."

But it had been too long a week. With Jute, his mom coming back, and now Mercedes rejecting him Kurt was completely exhausted.

It only took a half-glance into the kitchen as he passed it to be thrown into a full blown panic attack.

Mercedes was at full gallop and didn't see Kurt crumple to the ground.

Water materialized around him, shielding him as he tried to get his tumultuous emotions back under control. He'd put this behind him, he'd thought. He knew he wasn't responsible.

Blood on his hands. Blood he could make dance if he wanted to.

He wanted it off.

And it came off. That night he'd wiped his hands clean with his powers, and months later Jute had wiped the rest away. He wasn't a monster. Just normal. He was safe.

"Kurt? Baby what is it?" Kasha was there; she must have heard Mercedes making a break for it.

That was enough to center him. His mom didn't know, but his dad did. Bebe did. Jute did. And they didn't blame or hate him. The water shield splashed to the floor, an accurate depiction of his strength and energy levels. He may be able to pull himself out of a flashback, but his relationship with his best friend was completely screwed up. And he was too tired to do anything about it.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Kasha asked again, growing more worried. "Is Mercedes still here?"

That question was enough to break Kurt's last reserves. "Mommy," he sobbed as he curled up into a ball. Kasha wrapped her arms around him and let him cry himself out.

Kurt felt safe. He knew better though. "She hates me. Mercedes hates me."

(to be continued)

Sorry, this was supposed to be less angst ridden for Kurt. I didn't want to end another chapter with Kurt crying. But as soon as he ran past the kitchen I knew it was going to trigger something.


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six

Kurt went to school the next day with the pessimistic feeling that things were only going to get worse.

He hadn't even tried to contact Mercedes. After he'd calmed down enough to tell his Mom what had happened, Kasha had done her best to try and cheer him up. But while the ice cream had been comforting at the time, neither of them had realized until then how depressing Kurt's favorite movies were.

Kurt had then attempted to distract himself by showing Kasha some of the music that had come out while she'd been gone. Kasha was delighted with Cher's 'Believe' album, but Kurt had started crying again in the middle of Strong Enough and that was the end of that.

All in all, Kurt was seriously considering skipping school and finding out where Jute spent his days.

Only to find out that Jute had, for some reason, decided to spend his days in an Earth high school.

"Okay, explain this to me again," Kurt told him. "You're legally an adult. You know more about science, math, and diplomacy than the rest of these idiots will ever possibly know. Why are you enrolled here?"

"I had to do something to fill my hours," Jute replied as he pulled out his books. "I don't need to work, and some of these classes are interesting. Look: French, Spanish - you know how much I love languages. I was going to pass on English until I found out it's actually English literature. I want to know more."

Kurt laughed, but it wasn't mocking. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Although I don't know what I'm going to do to explain you to the rest of McKinley."

Jute grabbed Kurt by the belt loops and pulled him closer. "Don't," he suggested with a smile. "As long as you know what to tell your friends, I don't see any reason why I can't be a frustrating enigma."

Kurt knew he was supposed to laugh at that, but he couldn't bring himself to. "After how Mercedes reacted yesterday, I don't think I'm telling anyone anything."

Jute listened to Kurt's report on the previous evening with concern and sympathy. After Kurt had finished, Jute considered this for a while before reluctantly asking, "Do you still want her to know?"

"Rather a moot point, isn't-" Kurt broke off when he realized that no, it wasn't moot after all. Fire shapers had the ability to erase entire personalities, removing a single conversation was no doubt nothing for them. "I don't know. I know she won't tell anyone, and I-"

"You want her to accept the truth, not forget it."

Kurt sighed. "Is that stupid?"

"She's your best friend. No, that's as far from stupid as you can get."

Kurt kissed Jute, reveling in the fact that now that they were officially dating he could do this whenever he wanted. "You keep up this understanding boyfriend gig, and you're likely to charm me right out of my skinny jeans."

"Ah, charm," Jute teased. "I was thinking when the time came I'd need to slice you out of those."

Kurt pulled back, playfully offended. "These jeans cost 300 dollars. Try it and I'll have you erased, myself."

Jute leaned in to kiss Kurt again. "Now that I know the secret for how to get them off, I won't need to."

* * *

Kurt and Jute were apparently too busy talking and kissing to notice that Rachel was watching them.

Rachel was worried. Whatever went on over the summer must have been serious for Kurt and Finn to be so circumspect about it. At first she wondered if Finn might have cheated on her, but that would warrant more lying and less silence. No something far more sinister was going on, and she wondered again what role Jute was playing in it.

Rachel continued on her way before her spying became obvious. Kurt seemed seriously smitten with Jute, something she didn't think possible if Jute was a bad guy. But then she considered herself just as level headed as Kurt, and Jesse St. James had managed to dupe HER. Why couldn't Kurt fall for a similar smooth talker?

"Mercedes!" Rachel saw Kurt's BFF up ahead and hurried to catch up. Finn wasn't able to tell her anything, but surely Mercedes would. "I'm so glad I caught up to you."

But when Mercedes turned around, she looked tired and distressed. "Rachel, I'm really not in the mood to pretend you're not annoying. If you need something, cut to the point."

"Okay. It's Kurt." Rachel was surprised to see Mercedes wince, but she persevered. "I need you to tell me everything you know about Kurt's new boyfriend and how they spent the summer together."

"Trust me," Mercedes answered grimly. "If Kurt doesn't want you to know what happened to him, don't push. If you do, you'll just end up finding out something you don't want to know."

"Oh my god, you know!" Rachel exclaimed. "Mercedes I'm really worried, and not just because of the threat to Glee Club that this represents."

"God! There's no threat, Rachel!" Mercedes seemed taken aback by her own comment, and she carried on much more subdued. "Look, the truth is that Kurt's family isn't what any of us were expecting. And it's really freaked me out. So just drop it."

Mercedes tried to walk away, but Rachel blocked her. "You can't really expect me to believe that."

"Why not?"

"I know that Kurt can be difficult to work with at times-" Mercedes snorted derisively. Rachel didn't know why, so she just continued. "-but he's Kurt. Even if his family is all Nazis, I don't believe that you'd turn your back on him."

This time Mercedes was too shocked to move. "Rachel…." But she couldn't respond beyond that.

"No, Mercedes. You may not want to tell me what's going on, but don't try to convince me you don't have Kurt's back. Because I know you."

Rachel stalked off. She didn't notice that Mercedes actually seemed shamed by what Rachel had said.

* * *

"Oh dear."

Jute looked up from Kurt's neck, surprised by how husky and aroused Kurt DIDN'T sound. "Something wrong?" Kurt pointed behind Jute's back. Jute turned around to see Finn being harangued by a petite brunette. "Who's that?"

"Finn's girlfriend Rachel. I think I'd better intervene. I'll catch you later." Kurt kissed Jute one more time, then charged across the hallway to intercept Rachel.

Jute's watch beeped twice as he watched Kurt go. Slipping into an empty classroom he flicked it on and his grandfather's holographic image appeared. "What is it grandfather?"

"I spoke to you a few days ago on the subject of Burt-Hummel's choice," Aramid reminded him.

Jute remembered it well. After dinner the other day, Jute had vented long on how hard this situation was on Kurt. Aramid promised he'd consider it further. "What have you decided?"

"I think it would be best if you got both sides of this. Visit Finn's mother today. I have her work address, and I think it might give you a better perspective with which to help Prince Kurt."

"I will. Thank you grandfather."

* * *

Kurt arrived just in time to place himself between Rachel and Finn. "Rachel. You seem upset. What's up?"

"Choir room. Now," Rachel declared as she swept down the hallway.

Kurt turned to Finn, confused. "Is there a Glee emergency?"

"The only emergency is you," Finn replied, worried. "She cornered me the second I walked through the door this morning."

Kurt was going to point out that it couldn't have been more than five minutes, as he knew full well Rachel was watching him with Jute earlier. But it wasn't relevant. "Great. At least I know if Rachel decides never to talk to me again, she won't be able to go through with it."

Kurt and Finn hurried to the choir room to find Rachel pacing back and forth. "Kurt I can't let you endanger New Directions any longer."

"How am I endangering us?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "And I hate not knowing. But I know something went on this summer that you're afraid to admit. And I'm not leaving here until I know what it is."

Finn sighed, but Kurt cut him off before he could speak. "You know what? Fine. Mercedes already hates me, you might as well hear the whole story."

"What?" Finn yelped. "No. No deal. I'm not letting you use their stupid prejudices as an excuse to let Jute take you away."

"Finn-"

"No! I'm sick of this!" Finn told him. "Everyone's waiting for your dad to decide who he wants to be with, and I get it. But nobody's asked me what I want. And I don't want to lose the first family I've ever had!"

Kurt's face softened. He'd never anticipated that Finn would feel this way about him. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Finn's reply was much softer, on his seeing that he was actually making an impact. "Well, I do. I know last year really sucked, but we went through so much this summer. And I feel like we're starting to be something really great together. And I hate that I just have to stand on the sidelines and wait."

Kurt had to stop himself from welling up at that point. He couldn't have stopped himself from hugging Finn even if he'd wanted to. "Finn, I- You're my brother, no matter what happens."

"Even if you end up on another planet?"

"Even if. Now I think it might be time you explained everything to Rachel," Kurt noted. "Given that she just heard you use the word planet."

"She did? Damnit! I knew I was accidentally going to do that."

Kurt and Finn looked over to see the reaction they'd gotten. To Kurt's amazement, Rachel didn't seem at all shocked. "I knew it! Well, I didn't actually know this specifically. But I've been wondering all this time how it was that someone with half my experience and training even had a hope of keeping up with me. It totally makes sense that you have millions of years of evolution backing you up."

Kurt looked at Finn, flabbergasted. Finn shrugged. "Well, It's going better than Mercedes."

Kurt shrugged too. No use looking a gift horse in the mouth. "How about I leave you two to go over last summer's travelogue, then. Prince or not, I still have Geography class."

"Yeah, go," Finn told him. "I got this."

Kurt nodded and left the choir room. The last he heard before the door closed was Rachel gaping between delight and shock. "Did he just say prince?"

* * *

Burt knew that he should be going home after work. He knew it when he set the alarm. He knew it when he locked the door. He even knew it when he took the left turn that sent in in the opposite direction of his house.

It wasn't like he didn't love Kasha. He still did, and he figured he always would. But every time he thought about coming home to her, he found his thoughts wandering back to Carole.

And here he was: going to see her.

Follow your heart, Carole had said. If Burt was being honest with himself, he knew that that was what he was doing now. What he didn't know was if he was capable of doing this for good instead of just an afternoon.

He turned the last corner onto Carole's block, and all thoughts of what he ought to be doing vanished from his head.

It was still daylight, but the comparison between what he was seeing, and what he'd come home to that spring were unavoidable. The taped off sidewalks. The fleet of police cars. All spreading out from the central point that was Carole's apartment building. "Oh my god."

It was hard finding a legal parking space, but the second he did Burt was bearing down on the police officer manning the barricade. "What's going on?" Burt asked.

Burt didn't know the cop, and the non-recognition was mutual. "Sir, if you'll just step back-"

"Wait!" Burt pleaded. "My- I know someone that lives in that building. Can't you just-"

"Burt Hummel?" There was another cop approaching, and Burt DID recognize him. He'd been one of the detectives that investigated after Kurt had been attacked. Thank god, the guy remembered him. "What are you doing here, Mr. Hummel."

"My- Carole lives in that building. What's going on?"

The detective's brow furled, worried. Rather than answering, he had another question for Burt: "What's her apartment number?"

"What does that-"

"The number, Mr. Hummel. This is really important."

Burt wasn't sure he wanted to know why, but he replied, "308."

"God damn it!" The detective turned to the cop at the barricade. "Get the chief down here. We've got a confirmed link to the case last spring."

"Wait a minute!" Burt demanded. "What the hell is going on? Where's Carole?"

"Another home invasion," the detective told him. "Luckily she doesn't seem to have been home. We're still trying to get a hold of her."

This comforted Burt not at all. "Carole should have been home by now," he worried. "And Kurt said that the guys that broke into our house were going to take him too. If she was here-"

"Mr. Hummel, those men are dead," the detective reminded him. "Yeah, it's a bad sign that they targeted her. But it's too early to subscribe motive yet."

Burt sagged as the detective went back inside. They still hadn't contacted her. Was she held up somewhere, or did someone have her?

He picked up his phone, and hit Carole's number on instinct.

It rang and rang and rang.

Voice mail. Hearing her voice cut through him like a knife. He'd worked hard putting Kasha in his past after she'd died. He couldn't do it again. Not with Carole. "Carole, it's Burt. Something's happened at your place. If you're okay, please call me."

He hung up and dialed again.

Voice mail. Another, more anxious sounding message.

Burt couldn't seem to stop dialing.

"Hello, this is Carole's voicemail…"

"God, Carole! Where are you?"

(to be continued)


	7. Chapter 7

_So sorry about how long this has taken. Although my one-shot Snow Falling took up very little of my time, I've had a lot of problems with the Burt/Carole stuff in the middle of this chapter that has really slowed my progress down._

_Hope Carole isn't OOC in this chapter. It's been so long since we've seen her on the show that her voice in my head isn't coming through as clearly as it once did. Needs must re-watch some older episodes._

_Star Consort - Chapter Seven_

_Carole had no idea that her afternoon would turn out this way._

_She'd initially been discouraged to come out of work and find Prince Jute of Sateen waiting for her outside. He'd assured her that he only wished to get to know her better, but she wasn't convinced. Only the fact that she knew she needed to get along with Kurt's boyfriend made her agree to coffee._

_The Lima Bean was only a couple of blocks away from her job, so they walked. It had been quiet most of the way, with Jute commenting on Earth architecture and Carole making the occasional mumbled agreement._

_Thankfully, Carole eventually wore down and started to enjoy herself. Jute had kept his reasons for being there to himself and had concentrated on being charming and affable. She'd altogether forgotten he was grading her until he noted, "You're not what I expected; I'm glad I got to know you better."_

"_I'm relieved to hear that," Carole admitted. "I know you'd rather Burt pick Kasha over me-"_

"_That isn't so," Jute assured her. From anyone else it would have sounded scolding or defensive. Jute made it sound matter-of-fact. "I respect Burt-Hummel a great deal, and want him to make the choice that will make him the happiest."_

"_We all want that."_

_Jute looked down at his coffee, his enthusiasm waning a little. "This is very hard on Kurt. He's torn between his mother, and a woman that he loves like a mother."_

_Carole was shocked to hear that. Not that she doubted for a minute that Kurt loved her as much as she loved him. But Jute was clearly far more involved with Kurt than she thought if he was privy to something like that. "I know. I don't know what to do for him except hope that this gets resolved as fast as possible."_

"_I think you're right," Jute told her. "I don't like watching Kurt hurting. But I blamed you for this situation, and I apologize. My grandfather was right to convince me to see your side of this."_

"_Well, thank him for me." Carole glanced at her phone as it beeped again. Another missed call from Burt. Carole hated it when people interrupted the conversations they were having with people right in front of them. But this was the seventh call in the last half hour. "It's Burt again. I hope you don't mind if I answer; it might be important."_

"_Of course, if he's that anxious to talk to you."_

_Burt sounded more than anxious when Carole answered the phone. "Oh my god, Carole. Are you okay?"_

"_Burt, I'm fine. What's going on?"_

"_Carole, somebody broke in to your apartment. They think it might be the same ones that attacked Kurt. When I couldn't find you-"_

_Carole gasped. She was normally home by now, no wonder Burt was so worried. If she hadn't been so darned LUCKY that Jute decided to see her today she could have been in real trouble. "I'm okay. Jute stopped by when I was on my way out of work and we got coffee. I haven't even been home yet."_

"_Thank god. Carole, if anything happened to you I don't know how I'd manage."_

_Carole blushed. "I'll be right there. I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

_Carole turned to see Jute looking at her, concerned. "What's happened."_

"_Someone broke into my-" Carole broke off, the reality of the situation hitting her like a slap. She actually had to make two tries to get to her feet. "I- I have to go."_

"_You don't look up to operating a vehicle," Jute said as he stood. "I'll take you."_

_Carole was a little surprised by that. She'd assumed that Jute got from place to place with one of those 'jumpers' Kurt used. "You drive?"_

_Jute led her to an SSC Ultimate Aero that was clearly his from the beep it made when he hit the alarm on his keychain. "Oh, I drive."_

* * *

_Burt alerted the police that he'd gotten in contact with Carole, and that she was on her way there. Then he went back to pacing anxiously. _

_This had been the breaking point for him. As much as he loved Kasha, he knew he needed Carole in his life. The saying went that you didn't know what you had until it was gone. He knew now, and had been lucky enough that he'd gotten her back. He wasn't going to risk losing her again._

"_Burt!" Carole came running up to him, but it was Burt who wrapped her hugs and kissed her._

"_Oh my god, It's so good to see you. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you!" Burt exclaimed. _

"_It's okay, Burt. I'm okay," Carole murmured comfortingly._

"_I love you, Carole! I'm done waffling. I want to be with you."_

_Carole back up at that, startled and uncertain. "Burt, you don't know how much I've wanted to hear you say that. But I don't want you to make a rash decision in the heat of the moment that you'll regret later."_

_Burt couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not going to regret this!"_

_Carole looked very regretful, but her voice was firm. "No, Burt. This is the panic talking. Believe me, I get it. I want nothing more than to let you just take me in your arms right now. But I don't want right now. I want forever, and I'm not convinced this is it."_

_Burt was stunned. "But-" He broke off, because he couldn't think of anything to say that couldn't be judged as an emotional reaction._

_Jute decided to make his presence known at that point. "Perhaps it would be best if we retired back to the Hummel house to continue this discussion."_

"_I don't know," Carole admitted._

"_You can't stay here!" Burt declared. _

"_Agreed," Jute said. "Burt, I've moved into the house Kasha lived in before she married you. If you'd like I can entertain Kurt while you talk things through with her and Carole. And Finn as well, of course," he added quickly._

_Burt made a little face at that, but nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. Come on, Carole. It's not like this is coming out of nowhere."_

_Carole was pensive for what seemed to be a long time, but she finally nodded. "All right."_

* * *

_Kasha and Kurt had been making dinner together when they heard the front door open. Kasha had been elbows deep in pastry dough so Kurt left the potatoes to go greet his dad. "Hi, dad. I hope you're hungry because Mom and I have been in the kitchen most of the afternoon, and Finn just called to say he was-"_

_Kurt's voice completely dropped off as he rounded the corner into the living room. "Kurt, are you okay?" Kasha asked._

"_I'm-" Kurt paused. Uneasy, and Kasha's mind immediately went to red alert at the uncomfortable tone. "Yeah. I'm okay. Mom, you should probably come in here."_

_That was even more worrying. Kasha extricated herself from the pie she was making. "[Are you alright, Kurtling?]"_

"_[I am,]" he replied. "[It's-] Dad brought Jute home for dinner. And Carole."_

_Well that explained why Kurt was so uncomfortable. She briefly wondered if this was about Kurt, or if Burt had made his choice. Then she realized that she was better off going to find out than speculating. _

_She set down the knife she'd picked up, before she went into the living room. Now that there was no PHYSICAL threat to her family in the next room._

_As soon as she saw the look in Burt's eyes she knew it was over. Her first thought was for Kurt. "Jute, are you here for Kurt?"_

_Jute saw the look in her eyes and nodded gravely. "Yes, Princess. Kurt, you said Finn wasn't here?"_

_Kurt jumped, a little startled but nodded. "Yes. He's staying over at Puck's tonight."_

"_That's probably for the best," Jute noted. Kurt's eyes widened anxiously as he took in the exchange. Jute offered him a hand. "I promised your father I'd look after you for the night."_

_Kurt's mask of indifference, that Kasha had barely gotten to see though she'd heard it was commonplace, slid into place as he nodded. Kurt turned back to Kasha to give her a big hug. "I'll see you tomorrow," Kurt declared, his certainty as much a mask as his face._

"_You will." Kasha was determined that no matter what happened with Burt, she was never saying goodbye to her son again._

_Kurt hugged his dad, then after pausing hugged Carole as well. He walked to the door, giving everyone a composed wave as he left._

_Leaving just the three of them. Soon to be two._

_Burt sat down on the couch, trying to compose himself. She was relieved to see this was at least not an easy decision for him. "Kasha, you know I've always loved you."_

_Kasha fought the urge to join him on the couch. She remained standing, the warrior princess she was. "Yes, Burt. But I also know how long I've been gone."_

"_Someone broke into Carole's apartment this afternoon."_

_Kasha wasn't expecting to hear THAT. Though it did her emotional upset no good; she was all too aware what almost losing someone does to a person. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do they know who did it?"_

"_Not yet," Carole admitted. There was something else there, something not said. But Kasha couldn't guess what it was._

"_So you're staying here, then." Kasha's voice came out uncertain. She would have offered, but realized that she may no longer have the right to invite someone to stay here._

"_I don't know where I'm staying yet," Carole declared, muffling Burt's 'yes' and subsequent grumble. _

"_I'm sorry, Kasha," Burt told her. "Even before this happened, it was- And then I thought that Carole might be kidnapped or worse- Damnit!" he snapped. "I don't know how to say this."_

_Now Kasha did go to sit beside him, she couldn't help herself. "I understand. You want to be with her."_

_Burt looked at her, anguished. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could explain it better."_

"_You don't have to," Kasha replied. "I already know. I'm still dead to you, Burt."_

_Burt was surprised, and hurt, to hear that. "No, Kasha. Whatever else happens, I'll always-"_

_Kasha interrupted, touching her hand to his heart. "In here. You had to go on, and I completely understand. My coming back didn't change anything. Your love for me is a love of something in the past. The way I love my father. It's not connected to me anymore."_

_Burt bowed his head and wept. "I should have gone to you. Shouldn't have let my pride get in the way when you got hurt."_

"_You didn't know."_

"_Kasha, I am SO sorry," Carole insisted. "I didn't want to do this tonight. Burt is upset over the break-in-"_

_Kasha waved off her apology. "I've suspected this since- Since I saw your picture the first time, I suppose. You don't have to worry about him changing his mind."_

_Kasha decided to go while she could still do so with some dignity. Rising from the couch she led Carole to her place. "Take care of him. Tell Kurt…. Tell him I'll talk to him later tomorrow. Here time."_

_Burt's head lifted up in shock. "You're leaving?" he gasped._

"_It's past my time," she told him. "Ten years past."_

_Burt's head bowed down again. Kasha knew he wanted to say something else. But she also knew he didn't know what to say._

_Carole still felt the need to say something, though. "You don't need to leave tonight. I can sleep in Finn's bed-"_

_Kasha chuckled grimly. "When my mother told you I was alive, did YOU want to stay here until morning?" Though it was a rhetorical question, as Bebe had told her that Carole hadn't."_

_Apparently Carole knew Kasha knew that. "Point taken."_

"_I'll have Kurt bring me my things, if that's all right?" Kasha told them._

_Burt nodded, still unable to speak._

"_[Goodbye, Burt-Hummel.]"_

_A tear fell down Burt's face. But just one, and it wasn't enough to change anyone's mind. "[Goodbye, Princess.]"_

_And then she was gone._

* * *

_Kurt shut his phone looking tired and anxious. "I told my grandmother what happened. Mom isn't back yet, and Grandmother thinks she won't have time to call when that happens."_

"_Probably not. I'm sorry, Kurt."_

_Kurt was looking around his mother's old house, that the Sateeni had jokingly deemed 'the Embassy House'. If Jute was expecting Kurt to be too 'Earthen' to notice what he'd said he was wrong. Kurt turned to Jute, puzzled. "Why would you be sorry?"_

"_Because I want to help you with this, and I know I can't," Jute explained. "Perhaps that's why people use the words so freely on this planet."_

_Kurt went over to Jute, putting his arms around his boyfriend. "Then it's a stupid reason," he announced. "You are helping. I just wish I could help my mother. I don't like being away like this; she doesn't have to protect me."_

"_She's your mother, of course she does," Jute smiled. Then he added, soberly, "It will be easier for her to grieve if she doesn't have to be brave for you."_

_Kurt nodded. "I get that from her."_

"_What did your grandmother say about the break-in?"_

_Kurt shook his head, discouraged. While Bebe had been perfectly concerned and had volunteered to be involved…. "She wants to hear everything the police have as soon as we get it. She'll have her own people look at it. I was hoping we could do a thorough scan of the apartment, but there's just no way to get the equipment there discretely."_

_Jute considered this. "There might be another way."_

"_Really?"_

"_It's an old technique, and I'd need an Air and an Earth shaper to pull it off," Jute explained. "Let me look into it."_

"_So how is it that you know these super secret ancient techniques?" Kurt asked with a coy smile._

"_It's not like that," Jute admitted. "It's just something that's obsolete on Sateen, your grandmother has probably just forgotten about it. But here, it just might work."_

_Kurt put his head on Jute's shoulder. As much as he felt awful for his mother right now, being here with his boyfriend was doing him two worlds of good. "Thank you, Jute."_

_Jute kissed Kurt gently on the forehead. "So Finn is going to be at his friend's all night?"_

"_Actually…" Kurt hadn't been completely honest in front of his dad and Carole. "We told Rachel the truth about me today. It went pretty well, and Finn is going to be spending the night THERE."_

_Jute raised an eyebrow. "Really? A first for prudish Earth morals."_

_Kurt smacked him playfully. "Rachel's dads are very permissive, almost to the point of being absent. Besides, I don't think they're going all the way just yet."_

"_Well it means two fewer people making decisions on how to occupy you for the evening," Jute declared. "What do you feel like doing?"_

_Kurt smiled tiredly. "Not going all the way. In fact right now I don't feel like doing anything. I just want to be here with you."_

* * *

_Kasha arrived back in her suites in the Thunder Palace. She hadn't been back since she'd woken up, and they still looked the way they did when she and Burt were first newlyweds. _

_She ran, unable to bear the memories._

_Kasha didn't know exactly where she was running to, or if there was a 'where'. She stopped only when Bebe literally dragged her to a stop. "[Mama?]"_

_Bebe pulled Kasha into her sitting room. "[I know, Kasha. Kurt called and told me everything. You have my condolences.]"_

"_[I've lost everything,]" Kasha sobbed. "[I wish I'd never woken up.]"_

"_[Do not say that,]" Bebe told her. "[Over and above how glad I am to have you back, Kurt needs you.]"_

"_[Kurt is a man,]" Kasha countered. "[He doesn't need me, anymore. It's too late.]"_

"_[Is that so,]" Bebe replied unconvinced. "[And your being a grown woman, now deprived of her husband, you have no need of YOUR mother? Nonsense. Kurt needs you. We both need you.]"_

_Kasha disintegrated. With a loud scream she dropped to her knees. Another scream, and every water based trinket in Bebe's sitting room shattered. "[It's not fair! It's not fair!]"_

_Bebe knelt in front of Kasha and took her daughter in her arms. "[I know, my darling. You must hate me for keeping him from you.]"_

_As much as she was hurting, Kasha couldn't stand to hear that. "[I've been in Purgatory ten years. If my boys had to endure that, for half of Kurt's life-]" Kurt's life would have been much different growing up on Sateen, as he would have if Burt had known about Kasha's accident. While it would have been better for her, it would have been harder on Kurt than she dared think about._

"_[It's hard to imagine this being for the best, right now,]" Bebe admitted._

_Kasha wept, but much more quietly than before. After what seemed like eons she finally pulled herself and Bebe to their feet. She looked around the shattered room. "[I'm sorry I broke your ornaments, Mama.]"_

_Bebe waved off her concerns. "[My daughter needs me, something I feared would never happen again. I don't care about a few trinkets.]"_

_(to be continued)_


	8. Chapter 8

And we're back. Real life concerns have kept me from writing, but I'm finally ready to dig back in (thankfully, I was able to at least resolve the chapter six cliffhanger before I got too busy).

In case you might have forgotten in the interim, I don't own Glee. I don't own the awesome Rachel/Kurt/Blaine spin-off they've been hinting at. All I own is the idea of Sateen, and I don't even have the money to get to Gliese 581to find out if it's really there.

Chris Colfer is gorgeous. Spread the word. Maybe one day he'll hear it enough that he'll believe it himself.

* * *

Star Consort - Chapter Eight

Kurt was surprised when Mercedes sat down beside him at lunch the next day. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked. Mercedes looked pale, like she hadn't been sleeping much recently. And her eyes were staring at her tater tots with more than her usual intensity.

Contrite, or maybe she was still afraid of him.

Kurt sighed, unable to look at her, either. He really missed her, but he hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing in this situation. "I'm not the one that's uncomfortable with you sitting beside me."

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, well…. I heard your dad's back together with Finn's mom. It's got to be pretty rough on you."

"Thank you for your concern."

"How's your mom doing?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, disturbed. His dad had told him his mother was planning on calling later today, but beyond that he knew nothing. "She's back home now. I know my grandmother is there for her, but I hate not being able to do anything."

"Probably doesn't help that your dad and Mrs. Hudson are probably all PDAs all the time."

Kurt chuckled a little at that. "Actually, I think Carole took this as hard as my parents did. They're happy, but they're… subdued. At least in front of me, anyways."

Mercedes was quiet for a moment, then asked "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Surprisingly, Kurt was doing far better than he thought he would be. Of course, he'd thought his mother had been dead all this time. Having her back, even divorced, was a hell of an improvement for him. "I spent last night at Jute's place here in Lima. He kept my spirits up."

"Is that all he was keeping up?" Mercedes asked, both concerned and curious.

"Yes," Kurt insisted. "We just talked."

"About what?"

Kurt shrugged. "Everything. Life. Love. The mysteries of the universe. Surprisingly the answer to life really is 42."

Mercedes laughed. "You'll have to explain that to me."

Kurt looked at her thoughtfully. It seemed like things were back to normal. But he couldn't let it go without comment. "It'll have to wait until we have more time. So does this conversation mean that's likely to happen?"

Mercedes' eyes became totally engrossed in her tots again. "Kurt, I made a mistake. You shared something really personal with me, and I made a bad week for you a hundred times worse."

"I wouldn't say a hundred," Kurt quipped. "Sixty-five, seventy tops."

That coaxed a tired smile out of Mercedes. "You have no idea how embarrassing it is to have RACHEL BERRY outperform you as a friend. I bet when you tell the rest of Glee, I'm the only one who reacts as badly as I did."

"You're also the only one who threw a rock through my window when I came out. I've never held that against you," Kurt reminded her. Though technically it wasn't RIGHT when he came out, the point still stood. "And I don't know if I'm telling anyone else right now. It'll be bad enough hearing Puck's reaction when he finds out my mom's single."

Mercedes winced. "Ew." Another pause, and Mercedes wrapped her arms tightly around Kurt. "I'm really sorry."

Kurt closed his eyes and let a little of his tension ease up. "Thanks, Mercedes."

* * *

Kasha was going over what Burt had sent Bebe about the break in when Prince Caysi showed up. He just stared for a moment, but then Kasha seemed to sense he was there and looked up. "Caysi." She looked tired and sad, but her smile was genuine enough as she stood and walked over to him. "It's good to see you."

"I'd say the same, but to be precise it's hearing you that's good right now."

Kasha's head bowed a little, self-consciously. It was odd that people she hadn't seen for years while she'd been on Earth had been by to see her frequently while she was in stasis. It was her own son and her- that she remembered seeing quite recently, that had been away from her for so long. "A common reaction from what I've heard."

"Your mother said you'd returned for good," Caysi commented. "My condolences."

Kasha tried to get herself under control. "It's for the best," she insisted. "Really, the only way this could have worked out would have been if Burt and Kurtling had stopped living while I was ill. I could have never asked for that."

Kasha still had her head down so she couldn't see Caysi's face. But it was unexpected to hear the tenderness in his voice when he said, "I could never be grateful for anything that caused you pain."

Kasha looked up at him, but the moment was gone and Caysi was looking at her with simple courtesy and charm. "Thank you for your concern," Kasha told him.

Caysi was silent for a moment, clearly unsure. Ultimately, he decided to go back over to the table Kasha had been sitting at. "I still have a few moments before my meeting with your mother. Is this the information on the home invasion Prince Kurt was involved in?"

"Some of it," Kasha told him, glad to have something to focus on besides everyone's damnable concern for her. "There was another break-in, at Carole-Hudson's."

Caysi raised a surprised eyebrow. "That's-"

"Yes. Also Burt's new woman." Kasha started going through papers again. "It's part of the reason why he realized he wanted to be with her more than me."

"Why would someone do this?" Caysi wondered as he looked at the files. "Besides you, of course," he teased.

Kasha laughed at the light remark, the first time she'd done so since she'd come home. "Well, it was certainly no help to me. The police are concerned there might be a link, but I can't see why. The men that went after Kurt are dead, and even if they weren't why would they break into Carole-Hudson's apartment?"

"You don't think…" Caysi wondered.

"No," Kasha replied. "The first attack doesn't support that. Honestly, I'm the only other link between the two. And I've got an alibi for the first one," she added with a small smile.

"Well, my nephew has a plan in the works," Caysi noted. "Hopefully he'll be able to find you something else."

* * *

Kurt hurried over to Carole's apartment the second that Glee was over. He hated leaving Mercedes just as they were friends again. But he'd explained that Jute had an idea regarding the break-in, and Mercedes had agreed that Kurt needed to be there for that.

When Kurt arrived, he encountered the expected security tape blocking off the section of corridor outside Carole's door. While Jute was planning on jumping right into the apartment, Kurt didn't have the time or the inclination to reprogram his jumper.

They did have a plan for Kurt getting in undetected, though. He might not be able to literally bend light rays around him like Jute could. But Kurt was made mostly water, and Jute didn't see any reason why Kurt couldn't shift his own body so the light would go right through him.

Kurt looked around to make sure no one was in the corridor. There wasn't. "Okay," he told himself. "Time for Ninja Action Kurt."

It seemed like it was working. For a split second. After that he could literally feel his body frothing in an attempt to do as he asked. He shut down the attempt seconds before the accompanying nausea could overwhelm him.

Kurt was sitting on the floor with his head between his knees when the door to the apartment opened. "Kurt? It's you."

Kurt raised his head to face his boyfriend. "I think the transparent water trick needs some work."

Jute raised a hand and the ends of the corridor darkened the way Kurt had come to expect when Jute extended his cloaking shield. "Are you all right?"

Kurt stood up. His stomach was still in knots, but he didn't seem to be in any danger of going splat on the ground. "Yeah. So I'm guessing you were able to find a third and fourth for this?"

Jute's jaw tightened just a little. "Yes. I was only able to find two who were willing, and I thought ready, to do this. And you might not like my choices."

Kurt couldn't imagine why Jute was bothered by that. "It's not like you invited-" But then who else would Kurt object to, other than- "It's Paysin and Ramie, isn't it?"

"We don't have to do this," Jute cautioned.

But Kurt sighed. "Yes, we do." And with a spine much stronger looking than it felt at the moment he charged into the room to face his boyfriend's ex, and that ex's current partner.

The two jumped, a little startled. But Ramie nodded in greeting. "[It's good to see you again, your Holiness]," he noted formally.

Kurt nodded back. It was just as formal (really too formal by Sateen standards), but at least it was cordial. "[It's good of you to come. Particularly at this hour,]" Kurt added, knowing how early it was on Sateen.

Paysin stepped forward, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of small talk at this point. "[Any time, Holiness. So what are we going to be doing here]?"

"[Well, as far as I know Ramie and I - and our instructor - are the only ones to have done this in about 70 cycles]," Jute noted. "[But Ramie told me you've shared power with him and I've been teaching Kurt some of the same]."

"[Right]," Paysin allowed.

"[So all we need to do is link up, and Ramie and I will do the procedure]," Jute told them as he took both Kurt and Ramie's hands.

Kurt didn't like the sound of that at all, but this was something he had to do. "[So what is this going to do]?" he asked as he put his other hand on the one of Jute's that Ramie was holding. He felt a little better when Paysin did the same thing, and looked just as unimpressed as Kurt did.

Jute looked at them both, mildly concerned, but stayed on topic. "[No one has been in here since the attack, and thanks to the police we know when that was. This will make anything new stand out enough to be seen by the naked eye]."

"[How long is this-]" Paysin started, only to break off with a gasp.

The entire room was covered in marks that glowed the way white does under a black light. Kurt tentatively let go and the marks remained. He flipped open his phone and started taking pictures of the boot prints glowing on the ground "[These look familiar. Just give me a minute to place them]."

"[Split up]," Ramie recommended. "[This won't last for long, and we shouldn't be here long enough to do this a second time]."

Kurt took Carole's bedroom; he may have been willing to let Ramie and Paysin help him, but he didn't want them going through her personal effects.

It didn't take long to finish documenting everything that he found. More boot prints, but surprisingly little else. In fact, it didn't seem like they'd touched anything; there weren't even glove prints. There was jewelry missing but not much else, a glaring difference between the two attacks. And Kurt could only think of one way something could have been taken without being touched.

Kurt went over to the closet to make a closer examination of what Carole had hung up. It revealed that Kurt's guess had been right: whoever had done this came with bladed weapons. The police hadn't yet picked up on all the nicks all over the place. Even with the spell they were so small as to be nearly invisible. Only on Carole's shirts could Kurt feel the places where something sharp had shoved them around.

He'd already taken pictures of the cuts, so Kurt occupied himself looking through Carole's closet to see what could still be salvaged. That was when he saw it.

One of Carole's blouses had been shoved to one side by the blunt edge of a [dueling weapon]. A [dueling weapon] with the crest of Sateen's Presidential Guard on it. The mirror image of which was staring back at him from Carole's blouse.

Kurt gasped and let go of the blouse when he heard someone behind him.

It was Ramie. "[Did you find something]?"

Kurt didn't know what to say. He couldn't bear telling Jute something like this. Although no one would blame Jute or his grandfather, it didn't seem right embarrassing them like this. "[No]."

Ramie smiled, legitimately bemused. It made him look a lot less intimidating, and Kurt thought he saw what Jute might have found appealing for all those years. "[You're not a good liar, Prince Kurt-Hummel. Though I've heard you make a practice of being brutally honest, so I shouldn't be surprised. Show me, please]."

Kurt sighed, frustrated. Although he could order Ramie out of the room, that would cause a bigger fuss than the one he was trying to avoid. So he lifted up the blouse again. "[I'm assuming you know what that is]."

He did, that much was obvious from the dropped jaw. Ramie stared at the symbol for a while before collecting himself. "[Rush, the Captain of the Presidential Guard is charged with the task of erasing the mind when a prisoner is condemned to be Erased. He's very good with the mind. Surgically good.]"

Kurt wasn't sure he knew what Ramie meant by THAT. "[I don't think forgetting this is going to help much]," Kurt replied.

Ramie turned away, lost in his own thoughts. "[No, I suppose not.]"

"[I don't want to tell Jute yet,]" Kurt told him. At Ramie's shocked expression he added, "[I need to know more. Why they'd do this for one thing. And if I can't lie to him then you're going to have to.]"

"[Are you pulling rank on me?]" Ramie asked in disbelief.

"[To make sure you don't go off half-cocked? You bet I am.]"

Ramie actually considered that. He nodded calmly and started to walk out. Just short of the door he turned back to Kurt. All trace of calm gone again. Talking again about something that seemed unrelated. "[You have to understand, Kurt-Hummel, that I am aware of how I sound. I know Jute is sorry. I know I was unfair and unreasonable with him. And yet there is an anger in me that I can't name or define. And now you show me this?]"

Kurt put this together with Ramie's non-sequitur about Captain Rush and gaped at the implications. But before he could say anything the mask was back in place and Ramie was dutifully returning to the living room to report that Kurt was finished looking for clues and they could go.

Jute poked his head into the bedroom. He was immediately concerned. "I'm taking Ramie and Paysin back to Sateen. Are you okay?"

Rather than try to lie at that point, Kurt pulled himself together and quipped, "Your ex and I appear to be getting along. I can only conclude I'm suffering from dangerous hallucinations."

Jute chuckled, kissed his boyfriend goodbye, and left. As soon as Kurt knew they were gone, he activated his own Jumper to take him home. Kurt left his Jumper in his top dresser drawer (where he kept his muscle magazines, as he didn't trust Finn not to 'borrow' the Jumper without permission) and went downstairs.

His dad was there, watching TV, and Kurt had never been so glad to see him. "Dad, I need to tell you something….

(to be continued)


	9. Chapter 9

I had to completely rewrite this chapter from scratch, which is why it's so long in coming. Hopefully, it's worth the wait.

I've gotten very few reviews the last few chapters. I hope you're all just busy too, and that you're not growing unsatisfied with the story. If I'm screwing up somewhere, I hope you'll drop me a line letting me know.

As you can see from this chapter, we're closing in on the end. I'm thinking two more chapters after this.

* * *

Chapter Nine

As Burt arrived at the door to Bebe's sitting room in the Thunder Palace, he had a moment to wonder what the hell it was he was doing. He'd broken her daughter's heart less than thirty hours earlier (a daughter who for all he knew could be on the other side of that door). And now here he was, come to talk about the attack on his girlfriend like nothing had happened.

Bebe was going to tear him limb from limb. And since he'd made Kurt stay home and 'let the grown-ups handle this', his son wasn't even going to be able to fix him afterwards.

The door opened. And damn, shit, hell, it was Kasha.

Kasha closed the door behind her, surprised. There was a moment of delight at seeing him before Kasha's eyes went dark and shut down as smoothly as Kurt's did. He'd never seen his wife do that before. "Burt? What are you doing here?" she asked calmly.

"I- uh…." Well, this was going great. "I was hoping I could talk to your mom about the investigation. I mean, I get if she's not interested in it anymore. But Kurt found something she needs to see."

Kasha watched him for a moment, before lifting up her phone. "[Mother, can I see you in your sitting room for a moment? Burt says he has something we need to see regarding the recent break-in.]"

Bebe's voice was cool to the point of mocking. "[Is that so.]"

Kasha sighed. "[Mother, not now please. This is important to Kurt.]"

Burt could practically hear Bebe roll her eyes (he suspected that was the reason Kasha hadn't gone with video for the call). "[I'm just finishing up with Prince Caysi. I'll be there in a moment.]"

Burt was momentarily distracted. "Caysi's here?"

Kasha opened the door again with another sigh. "Not now."

Burt entered the room behind Kasha, realizing as soon as he did why she'd suggested speaking here. Most of the knickknacks had been cleared out and the remaining room was now covered with files and reports on the two break-ins.

Burt couldn't quite place the dying song Kasha had on. But then it started up again and Burt recognized the blaring lyrics of 'You give love a bad name'. Kasha blushed as she realized how it looked and quickly shut the music off. Before Burt could do anything awkward like try to console her she turned to one of the files. "Kurt sent me the pictures from the apartment. What else is there?"

"Kurt didn't get a picture of it," Burt told her. "Either he was too shocked, or he didn't want Jute to accidentally see it."

"[And why is my grandson keeping things from his boyfriend?]" Bebe stood at the door, looking every inch like she'd rather have Burt executed out front than talk to him. "[Did YOU put him up to this?]"

"[Kurt decided. But I agreed with him,]" Burt declared. He knew he ought to be on his best behavior, but couldn't help twenty years of ingrained behavior. "[It'd be damn awkward for Jute to have to be the one to report this.]"

"[Well, you do know a little something about making things awkward,]" Bebe replied.

Kasha didn't have time for their bickering though. "Burt, do I have to get a fire shaper to pull the information directly from your brain? What did Kurt find?"

Burt paused; he wasn't any happier to have to tell them this. "Kurt found an imprint on some of Carole's clothes. He said it matched the seal of the Presidential Guard."

"The Guard?" Kasha repeated. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was suggesting. "You don't mean OUR President's Guard."

"[I can't possibly imagine a reason for the President's elite troops to attack an Earth woman,]" Bebe stated coolly.

"I don't have one either," Burt replied. "All I know is what Kurt found at Carole's apartment." Burt suspected if it hadn't been for Kurt identifying the seal she would have flat out told him he was stupid and paranoid.

As it was Bebe had to admit, "[I suppose it would explain why we were unable to find any credible links between the two.]"

"Well, we don't know for sure that they aren't," Burt reminded.

"We do now," Kasha assured him. Apparently, Bebe considering the possibility was good enough for her. "Burt, no one would attack an heir to the Water Standard. It would be worse than death for them."

Burt frowned. He wasn't that convinced. "We still don't know why someone would go after Carole. If they were hoping it would get me and Kasha together-"

"Well we all know the road to hell and what it's paved with," Kasha interrupted.

"You said Prince Caysi was here before," Burt reminded her. "You don't think-" Burt cut off, realizing the glare Kasha was giving him.

He'd seen it thousands of times before, but he'd forgotten that Kurt had originally gotten it from his mother. "No." she declared firmly.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Burt declared. "I'm just trying to figure this out."

"[I think you've figured out all you can,]" Bebe replied. Burt was about to snap at her, insulted, but Bebe had flipped open her phone and called one of her staff members. "[Please alert the President that my daughter, my grandson's father, and I will be there shortly. We need to speak to him.]"

* * *

"You're joking!" Jute exclaimed. "Finn? Kurt's almost-brother Finn?"

"I'm serious," Mercedes told him. "Kurt being hung up on Finn was the reason the whole almost-brother thing happened in the first place."

Jute laughed. He'd been rather hesitant to officially meet Mercedes, still a little sore at her for rejecting Kurt the way she had. But Kurt had been so down after not finding anything at Carole-Hudson's. And Jute had already found out from his afternoon with her that his biases weren't necessarily accurate ones.

And so it was again. Back at the same coffee house and having a great time. "I mean nothing against Finn, I respect him a great deal. But I can't imagine he and Kurt being compatible."

"I think at that point the only things Kurt was hoping were compatible were in the front of Finn's pants and the back of Kurt's." Mercedes waited for Kurt to respond to her bait. But Kurt was staring into his water, engrossed in his own thoughts. Mercedes shook her head. "I really like you, Jute. It's a shame Kurt isn't here to see how well we're getting along."

Kurt raised his head, hearing his name for the first time. "What was that?"

Jute leaned in close to his boyfriend. "[If you want, I can show you how to make where you'd rather be appear in the water.]"

Kurt blushed. "I DO want to be here. I just- I'm feeling a little guilty."

"Is this about Ramie?" Jute asked. "I know that you said you were finally getting along."

"We are," Kurt told him. Kurt seemed focused inward again, but ultimately asked. "Do you mind if I ask you how it happened? At the end, I mean."

Jute was surprised, but not upset by the request. "Not at all. I told you about the accident. And how Ramie seemed different afterwards. Why do you ask?"

"It was something he said today," Kurt admitted. "He said he knew he was wrong, but he couldn't help it. Like some kind of compulsion."

"You mean like he'd been brainwashed?" Mercedes asked. Kurt jumped, and Jute nearly did likewise. He'd almost forgotten she was there.

"He MAY have implied he thought that was what had happened," Kurt told her.

It should have been a surprise. Instead all Jute felt was a little click in his head of something finally making sense. Not that it really did. "I don't know why anyone would do that to him. But honestly, there was something about him after he got hurt. Everyone told me that he was just upset, but there were days that I didn't feel like I knew who he was."

Jute was pleased to hear that his voice was smooth, but Kurt's eyes filled with concern at the old wounds. Jute felt a little better when Kurt put a comforting hand on Jute's. "Is he just projecting or could someone actually do that." Kurt asked.

Jute shrugged. Having the ability to do something wasn't the same thing as being ABLE to do it. "Very few fire shapers could do that, but there are some. Did he say who he thought might have done it?"

"No, but-" Kurt paused, considering. That was when Jute realized that what had been bothering Kurt all day hadn't been the lack of evidence. Or even his encounter with Ramie. "There's something I need to tell you."

* * *

Apparently when you were the Water Standard Bearer, it was fairly easy to see the President of Sateen with minimal notice. As soon as they arrived at the Presidential Palace, Burt found himself, Bebe, and Kasha escorted directly into Aramid's office.

Aramid rose with genuine delight at seeing Bebe. "[Such a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you today, Bebe?]"

"[Business today, Ari,]" she told him as soon as his aide had left, closing the door behind him. "[And I'm afraid not pleasant business. Our grandsons have discovered a link between the attack on the Earth woman Carole-Hudson and the Presidential guard.]"

"[Surely not,]" Aramid exclaimed. Although he took the news seriously enough to shutter the windows to the office, giving them even more privacy. "[Why would they do such a thing?]"

"[I was hoping you might have the answer to that,]" Bebe admitted. "[Has Captain Rush mentioned anything that he thought might be unusual?]"

Burt wasn't that ready to assume Rush wasn't involved. But it was a good ploy for them to not immediately start accusing people. Instead of outright saying no, Aramid thought about it. "[No. I don't know if the situation with Burt-Hummel and Kasha has even become common knowledge yet.]"

"[I thought the Presidential Guard had better than common knowledge about everything,]" Burt noted.

Aramid smiled, but something about it made Burt uncomfortable. "[I suppose that's true,]" he allowed. "[What do you suggest we do about it?]"

"[This is a highly delicate situation,]" Bebe replied. "[It might be best if I had my people continue to investigate. They can be much more discrete than a public inquiry would be.]"

"[That's very kind of you to offer,]" Aramid told her. "[But I would feel better if I investigated this myself.]"

"[I think it would be best if you stayed far out of this,]" Kasha admitted. "[We don't want people thinking you're trying to cover something up.]"

"[I'm certain no one would think that.]"

Burt went back to thinking about the evidence as Aramid went back and forth with Kasha and Bebe over who would lead the investigation. It looked like Kasha was right; that there was no way the Guard would ever go after Kurt. But there wasn't any reason for them to go after Carole, unless they were working on something bigger.

And couldn't that project have had something to do with Kurt?

Burt jumped a little as his phone silently vibrated in his pocket. He'd forgotten that Bebe had upgraded both his and Kurt's phones to work between Earth and Sateen. Seeing that no one had noticed, he discretely took his phone out and checked the text message.

It was from Carole, and it shook him to the core. 'The police linked some fibers in my apartment to the drug dealers supplying the men that attacked Kurt.'

Burt didn't know what to say. This whole time he'd been waiting for confirmation that there was a link. But he still didn't know why anyone would do this. No one had benefited from this, except for Bebe if it meant Kurt was now going to spend more time on Sateen now. But Bebe wouldn't do this.

Jute benefited too, though he couldn't have possibly have known that at the time of the first-

And then Burt realized.

The President benefited. From his grandson involved with the Water heir. From his friend getting her daughter home. Maybe even from his son, if Caysi was still interested in pursuing Kasha. "Oh my god."

Everyone stopped to stare at him. "[I'm afraid I didn't catch that,]" Aramid noted. "[Could you repeat it please?]"

Burt knew he shouldn't be accusing the President of Sateen, but he couldn't help himself. "[It was YOU. You're the only one that got anything from the two attacks.]"

Kasha was confused. "Burt," she noted privately in English. "The Guard didn't go after Kurt."

"[Yes they did!]" Burt exclaimed, shoving his cell phone at her. "[They doped up those thugs that went after my son.]"

"[What!]" Kasha yelped as she examined the text message. "[Why? Why would they do that?]"

"[To get Kurt back on Sateen,]" Burt declared. "[He never would have gone back if he hadn't been so freaked out by the attack.]"

"[No,]" Bebe insisted, shocked and in disbelief. She couldn't deny the evidence, but she couldn't imagine what Burt had deduced. "[Someone else must have done this thinking it was what he wanted. The Guard, perhaps even Captain Rush. Ari would never-]"

"[Either way, mother,]" Kasha stated, "[this has to be investigated openly, now. We have to get to the bottom of this.]"

"[I'm afraid I can't allow that,]" the President told her.

Everyone just stopped. Speaking. Thinking. Believing. Bebe looked at Aramid, shocked. "[Ari?]"

The President was looking just as calm as ever, but his pleasant demeanor had completely evaporated. "[Burt-Hummel is quite correct. And I can't let my Guard suffer for something I ordered them to do.]"

"[No,]" Bebe gasped. "[You wouldn't do such a thing.]"

"[Your son-in-law is correct about something else too, Bebe,]" Aramid informed her. "[You'd lost your grandson, if it hadn't been for me-]"

"[If it hadn't been for you, my son would be able to walk past our kitchen without having a panic attack!]" Kasha shrieked. This was apparently the first Bebe was hearing about how bad Kurt still had it. And she looked devastated by it.

The President moved to console her, but she flinched back. "[Bebe, I'm sorry Kurt-Hummel is still distressed by what happened. But it had to be done. I've done too much to get Kurt and Jute together to have his irritation with you keep him off-world.]"

It occurred to Burt that this confession was coming too easily, and it worried him. "[So are you planning on turning yourself in, then?]"

"[That isn't necessary,]" Aramid insisted. "[The Earth police have no way to come after the Guard, or even suspect their existence. Kurt is uninjured, the Earth woman is uninjured. There's no reason this has to come out.]"

Bebe stared at the President as though he was a stranger. "[No reason? You attack MY GRANDSON! Interfere with my daughter's marriage. Who knows what else? And you want my silence?]"

"[I think you've gotten enough out of this that I've earned your silence,]" Aramid told her.

"[Maybe SHE has,]" Kasha allowed. "[But I'm going with a hearty] FUCK YOU! [That's human talk for no deal.]"

"[Language, Kasha,]" Bebe sighed, almost automatically. But it was clear she was past her denial. "[You should be able to tell the President his offer is laughable without being crude.]"

And yet the President still didn't seem to be bothered. Burt was starting to really worry. "[Can we go now?]" Burt asked. "[I think I've heard all I want to hear.]"

"[I'm afraid I can't allow that, either,]" Aramid told him. "[Not until I know you're going to remain quiet.]"

"[I'd love to see how you plan to manage that,]" Kasha replied caustically.

Aramid hit a button on his desk. "[Captain Rush. I need a team in here, now.]" He turned back to Burt, still as calm as ever. "[Captain Rush is an amazing fire shaper. Those men that attacked Kurt-Hummel? They were perfectly normal until he got through with them. So was Jute's ex-lover. And the bit of interfering that resulting in Kasha's accident? I've never seen skill like that.]"

"[Kasha?]" Burt repeated. Bebe and Kasha seemed once again stunned silent.

"[It didn't end the way I wanted it,]" Aramid admitted ruefully. "[But who could have predicted what happened. Replacing the unpleasantness of this afternoon with memories of tea and agreeing to let me handle this, though. That will be quite easy for him.]"

Burt couldn't believe this was happening. Going to the President of Sateen and accusing him of sending his Guard after Carole seemed to be the worst case scenario. The idea that every bad thing that had happened to his family in the last ten years was the result of this one man? The leader of Kasha and Bebe's whole planet? How were they supposed to fight that.

When the door opened, and Rush came in with some of his troops though, Bebe finally seemed to snap out of it. "[You will never touch my family again!]" However, all she did was raise her hand and let it fill with some water. Burt didn't know what that was supposed to accomplish, but from the shocked look on her face he guessed it didn't do what it was supposed to.

Aramid smiled sadly. "[My grandson was so excited the day he came to me and told me he'd discovered that Earth silk blocks our abilities. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd known that for some time.]"

Bebe growled at him. "[Even without the Water standard, your Guards are still no match for me.]"

"[We'll see.]"

Burt had never been more glad that Bebe and Kasha carried their [dueling weapons] everywhere as a matter of course than when they both drew them. Burt backed up between the two women so that they were in an outward facing circle.

And pulled out his own [dueling weapon], which he'd brought owing to a bad feeling this might go south.

Aramid looked at Burt's weapon, and then back at Bebe, unimpressed. "[Seriously?]"

"[You didn't really think I'd let the father of my grandson grow up completely ignorant of our ways, did you?]" Bebe snarled.

(to be continued)


	10. Chapter 10

I hope this isn't too talky. In my head I pictured a drawn out battle, with occasional glimpses of what was going on outside. Now it's almost all Kurt (not that that's a bad thing, of course).

Part Ten

Kurt knew Finn was upset the second he walked through the door. "Oh, dear."

"Is something wrong, Kurt?" Jute. Who had taken the news about the Presidential Guard fairly well, more concerned than angry at being left out of the proceedings.

Kurt had hoped to invite Jute in to make up for that, and his own earlier distraction. But that likely wasn't going to be possible now. "The house is cold."

"Oh," Jute replied, not understanding of course. "I could fix that for you."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, bemused.

Jute laughed. "Not like that. Well, like that as well. If you wanted."

"That would be lovely," Kurt noted wistfully. "But a cold house means an upset Finn. He says when he's upset the inside of his head feels like it's on fire. So when that happens, he turns the air conditioning on full blast. He insists it's comforting."

"The mind is very suggestible," Jute reminded him. "I personally like to be warm when something's bothering me."

Kurt's mind went back to the thing that was surely bothering Jute right now. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Concerned," Jute admitted. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little grateful I didn't have to deal with it all. Go check on Finn."

"Thank you." Kurt kissed him. "Finn's- I know my dad and his mom aren't married. And after everything that's happened, I'm not going to assume anything. But Finn's my brother."

And once again, Jute seemed to understand where Kurt was coming from. "I completely agree."

Kurt would have leaned in for another kiss, but Finn took that moment to make his frenzied entrance. For some inexplicable reason, he was hugging what looked like a hockey bag (particularly odd given that Finn didn't even play hockey).

Finn calmed a little on seeing them. "You're back, FINALLY! Didn't you get my mom's text?"

Kurt took out his phone. "No. It's dead." Although he had a much more powerful battery since his grandmother had upgraded his phone to access the Sateen Com Net, interplanetary calls still took indecent amounts of power.

Jute held out his hand. "May I?" Kurt handed over the phone and Jute headed for the nearest outlet. Being a fire shaper he didn't need a cord; he just held the phone over the outlet and in a few moments the phone beeped on again.

Kurt almost dropped the phone when he got it back and checked the message. There was a link between the break-in and the home invasion? "That's not possible." He knew the police had thought so all along. But once Kurt learned the Presidential Guard was involved, he'd immediately discounted the possibility.

"They're sure, dude," Finn insisted. "The guys that drugged up those assholes that attacked you are the ones that broke into my mom's apartment."

Kurt tried not to roll his eyes. It's not like Finn knew. "Finn, I found evidence the Presidential Guard broke into Carole's apartment. And I KNOW they didn't send someone after me."

Finn looked at him, confused. "Why would President Obama-?"

"No, my grandfather's guards," Jute clarified. He turned to Kurt, puzzled. "What's this about drugging?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Kurt asked. At Jute's continued confusion, he added: "The men that attacked me were addicted to Meth. That's a really dangerous drug here."

"And they didn't find the people who supplied them with this 'Meth'?" Jute asked.

Kurt frowned, uncomfortable with where this was going. "Well, no. The dealers - and the rest of the drugs - disappeared before the police could find them."

Kurt wasn't expecting Jute's eyes to widen at that. Before Kurt could say anything though, Finn interrupted. "The police have been sure this whole time there was a link. Now they have proof. If those guard guys were at my mom's, then they were here, too."

Finn opened up his bag, revealing almost everything they'd ever gotten on Sateen. "I got our fighting sticks, your jumper- Your box finally let me in long enough to get your tiara. That has magical powers, right?"

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "No." He didn't know where Finn got these ideas from. "Look, I know it's not as fun as going off half-cocked, but could you please think for a minute? You KNOW the penalties for assaulting an heir to one of the Standards. Why would the Guard risk that?"

"They would if they were ordered," Jute told him grimly.

Kurt turned to Jute in shock. His boyfriend seemed almost catatonic, but his voice was certain. "Jute, you can't believe-" Kurt began.

"Kurt, I know where those drugs went."

"You do?" Kurt and Finn both yelped.

Kurt loudly shushed Finn, then turned back to his boyfriend. "Where did you find them? Did Captain Rush-?"

Jute shook his head in anguish. "They're in my grandfather's office. He told me they were dangerous, and from Earth, and that they were highly addictive. But I didn't know there was a connection until now."

"Oh my god!" Finn gasped.

Kurt couldn't believe it. In fact, he was shocked that Jute did. "That's impossible. There must be some other-"

"Kurt!" Jute interrupted, roughly. "I know what I know. Please don't make this any harder by trying to talk me out of it."

Kurt didn't know what to say. Finn did, though. "We have to call the police."

"Which police," Kurt asked with irritation. "The ones that can't get to Sateen? Or the ones that pledge allegiance to President Aramid every morning?"

"The second ones," Finn answered, not realizing the question was rhetorical. "I'm not stupid, y'know."

Kurt sighed. "I can't tell them the President tried to kill me. I don't believe it myself; how am I supposed to convince someone else?"

"Well, what about Bebe?" Finn asked.

Well, that was a possibility. Unfortunately, his entire family seemed to not be answering their phones. A direct call to the Thunder Palace confirmed that they'd gone to see the President. Kurt asked if his grandmother had taken the Water Standard with her. She hadn't.

The Presidential Palace was close enough that Bebe should be easily able to summon it if she needed to. The fact that she hadn't though, was for some reason no comfort at all. "I know I shouldn't be worried about her. But…."

Jute had moved to the window and was just looking out it. But at Kurt's worry, he turned and noted, "The waters are rough."

Kurt didn't know what that meant, and he certainly didn't know how Jute would know that. "What do you mean?"

"This entire time, your attack felt like it was missing a piece," Jute replied, which didn't answer the question at all. "And then you told me about the drugs, and I remember my grandfather- The fire knows, I don't want to believe it. But when I look at the situation - honestly- I know it makes sense. And it would make sense to you if you weren't thinking about hurting me when you looked at it."

Kurt had been told that each of the elements linked to the rest of itself, forming something that was almost alive. He'd never imagined that it could be used as a lie detector. "So if something seems off about my grandmother not having the Standard-"

"She needs it, and can't get it," Jute answered, anxious for the first time Kurt had known him.

"I have to get to Sateen," Kurt declared, just as worried.

But as he reached for the bag that had his jumper in it, Finn pulled it back. "Hey, drug dealers were one thing. But you can't go after the president of your planet by yourself. And as much as I'd like to just say I'm coming with you, honestly I don't think the three of us can take on the president's whole army."

"There might be another way," Jute told him. "The council will probably refuse to believe this, but my uncle? Kurt, if your mother might be in danger, he'll listen."

* * *

Burt was really not liking their odds here. He'd fallen tightly in behind Kasha and Bebe; letting them deal with their attackers, while making sure anyone who tried to flank them regretted it. And while Burt was well within the elemental 'safe zone' the two had created, leaving him to deal solely with the Guards' weapons, there seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of them.

Rush was still there, making the occasional foray into the battle. Circling. Looking for an opening.

Burt saw where he was going the second before Rush got there.

Kasha.

Rush threw himself at the gap between her and Burt. Trying to get in between them. Burt got there first, just seconds ahead of Kasha.

Half of Kurt's life ago, Rush had used his fire bending to blank Kasha's mind for a moment. Just enough for her to be late in her defense during the expositional duel she'd been in.

Eight or so Earth years later, Kasha wasn't similarly handicapped. She just got there seconds behind Burt. But she didn't see her now-ex moving in.

And her counter-attack drove the sharp edge of Burt's shield into Rush's throat. "Whoa," Burt yelped.

Although this bastard orchestrated the attack on his son, so he couldn't feel too badly about it.

Aramid on the other hand, was stunned by the death of his biggest supporter. "Stop!"

He apparently hadn't just spoken, because Burt could no longer move.

That wasn't good.

The guards seemed to have stopped just as firmly as Burt had, silently waiting to see what the President was doing. Kasha moved her hand, and Burt could vaguely feel her trying to re-extend her shield around him. But the President's control was too much for her. "Burt!" she shrieked.

Bebe turned to Aramid, furious. "[And it comes to THIS now?]"

"[I can't stop you or Kasha from fighting,]" Aramid replied tersely. "[But I will be DAMNED if let him kill any more of my men!]"

"[I did that!]" Kasha shouted. "[If you're angry about it, face me!]"

"[No,]" Aramid told her. "[Surrender. Or I kill him.]"

There was a harder nudge against Burt's system, he suspected from Bebe. It didn't feel like freedom though, more like a stalemate. Bebe confirmed this when she said, "[I can't hold him off for long. Burt-Hummel, you must help me retake your body.]"

"I can't," Burt insisted.

"[Don't you tell that to me, Burt,]" Bebe countered firmly. "[Kurt wouldn't be as strong as he is if he didn't have some latent potential on your side of the family. Now be that brash young man that won my respect all those years ago and FIGHT.]"

Burt fought. He focused on his [dueling weapon] and tried to force himself to lower it. It didn't seem to be moving.

He tried harder.

Suddenly, it felt like the suffocating bands holding him in place had snapped. And his [dueling weapon] went down so hard the tips of the pikes clanked on the floor. Burt raised it again, and turned to face the President, anxious to deliver some more justice.

Before he could take a step though, a whole side of the room exploded.

* * *

Prince Caysi, fire hadn't just believed Kurt. When the three boys arrived on Sateen, Caysi met them at the Presidential Palace with a courier bringing the Water Standard, and what appeared to be half of Sateen's army. Including four warships hovering frighteningly low above them.

"Holy crap," Finn gasped.

"Holy crap, indeed," Kurt sighed. He'd just recognized the two officers next to Prince Caysi as Ramie and Paysin.

As Kurt approached, Caysi looked up and Kurt could see how worried the prince was. "Kurt-Hummel. The Palace has been locked down, and no one inside is answering my calls. As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I can only conclude the president is holding your family hostage."

As Caysi spoke, the courier approached and dropped the protective sphere of water containing the Water Standard into his hands. It occurred to him that this might actually be his now. But the water looked a little off when he thought that, and he clung to the conclusion that he must be mistaken in considering that. "[Why can't my grandmother summon the Water Standard?]" Kurt asked.

Caysi pointed to one of the wings of the palace. "[There's something blocking our sight from my- From the president's office. If she's there, I don't know if she CAN summon the Water Standard.]"

"[Then we've gotta get in there,]" Paysin stated.

"[Agreed,]" Kurt declared. "[Finn, I need you to stay here and co-ordinate with Prince Caysi, fire.]"

"Okay," Finn answered, though he didn't look to happy about it.

And Caysi had the oddest look on his face for a second. Kurt couldn't quite place it.

But there wasn't time for that, now. "[Paysin, Ramie, and Jute, you're with me.]"

They literally sprinted to the wing containing the President's office. Paysin, being taller and longer legged than the others, arrived first. But when he raised his hand against the shielding shuttered over the patio doors, it was clear that nothing was happening. "[I can't Shape whatever this is.]"

"[No matter,]" Ramie declared. He looked even more determined and angry than Kurt felt, and Kurt wondered if this had convinced Ramie his mind HAD been tampered with. "[That wall is coming down.]"

Ramie reached out for Paysin's hand and did this odd thing where he seemed to be reaching for both Paysin's power and his focus. And created a whirlwind in his hand that seemed to be both air, and solid.

Kurt turned to Jute, to see his boyfriend offering his own hand. Scarcely knowing what he was doing, but trusting the 'see it and it will happen' principle, Kurt took that hand. And used what he found there to make something he'd only ever seen Bebe create up to that point.

A magma wave.

The combined force of the four elements vaporized the shutters, and left the windows and patio doors behind them nothing more than splinters.

* * *

Kurt was relieved to see his family was unharmed. In fact, his father actually seemed like he was about to challenge the President himself.

Kurt spotted his grandmother in all the chaos. He tightened the water around the Water Standard as tightly as he could, and tossed it to Bebe. "Grandmother!" he shouted.

Kurt could feel his control tested, as the President and the guards inside tried to take the Standard from him. But it reached Bebe without incident.

Bebe tore open the water wrapping and set the guards on their asses with a barest flick of her power. "[It is OVER, Ari,]" she told him. "[The Presidential Seal may give you some power over the four elements. But not enough to be a match for a Standard. It is YOU who will surrender.]"

Kurt saw Finn and Prince Caysi coming up beside him. "[Father,]" Caysi pleaded. "[Stop this, please. This is madness.]"

The president could see that he'd lost. But he refused to give up. "[No Caysi, not madness,]" he insisted. "[All I have done, I have done for you, and Jute, and your future.]"

"[I don't care why you did it,]" Kasha informed him. "[Stand down. You have no options, now.]"

"[That is not entirely true,]" Aramid told her. "[I may not have the power to affect you, but I have options besides putting my family through a humiliating investigation and trial.]"

And then he was gone. Literally. His clothes billowed into a pile on the ground, and seemingly no trace remained of the President. "Holy shit," Finn hollered. "What the hell was that?"

Finn didn't know, but Ramie clearly did. Jute's ex dropped to his knees in complete anguish. "[No!]" he screamed. "[I have to know. I have to know what he did to me! You have to put him back!]"

Bebe knelt with the bundle of clothing between them. "[That is impossible,]" she gently told him. "[The body we can remake, but his mind is gone. You don't need it though. The answer you seek is yes.]"

Ramie wept. So did Bebe.

"[Okay, can someone please explain to me where the President went?]" Finn asked. "[And why no one is going after him?]"

"There's no 'after him' to go to," Kurt replied, shakily. He couldn't believe what had happened, either. He tried to move towards Jute, but his boyfriend flinched and Kurt took no further steps. "He's…. He's erased himself, Finn."

Finn gasped and bent down to examine the President's clothes, and there was indeed a baby in there. "Whoa. What- What are you going to do with him now? [I mean, what are you going to do with him now?]" he asked, switching to Sateen standard.

No one could answer that at first. Then Caysi stepped forward to claim the bundle. "[I'll take him in. I've never had a child, and I think I'd like to try and raise him right this time.]" Caysi offered Finn a sad smile. "[It was good to finally meet you, Finn-Hudson. Fare well. Nephew, come with me.]"

Kurt was about to scold Prince Caysi for making such a high handed demand. But Jute didn't seem at all bothered by it. Kurt had to sprint to catch up to him. "Jute, wait."

"For what?" he asked brokenly. "For the shooting pain of guilt I feel every time I look at you? No. I need to go."

"When…?"

"I don't think it will ever be possible," Jute quietly replied. "Have… have a good life, Holiness."

And then Jute was gone. And it felt as final as with the president.

(to be concluded)


	11. Chapter 11

Well, here we are at the end of the road. I want to thank everyone one last time for all their kind words. Writing has been rather difficult for the these last few months, and I don't know if I could have finished this without your support. Thank you so much.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Carole was almost panicked by the time Kurt, Finn, Kasha, and Burt finally came trudging up the stairs from the basement. Only a teenaged boy could think a text stating 'going 2 arrest Sateen prez home soon' qualified as letting her know where they were going so she didn't worry. She was so relieved that she was even happy to see Kasha. "Oh my god. Are you all right?"

Burt gave her a hug that barely made her feel better at all. "It's okay, sweetheart. We're all okay."

"What happened?"

"That's going to take a while to explain," Burt told her. "Short story: the guy that went after you and Kurt is dead. And the President…. Well, he's in custody now. He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"He turned into a baby, Mom!" an excited Finn quantified. "An honest to god baby."

Carole wanted to hear all about this, but she couldn't help noticing how quiet and distressed Kurt was. "Is Jute all right? I thought he went with you." Burt HAD said that they were okay, so what was going on?

Kurt's jaw tightened; a move Carole recognized as a prelude to Kurt trying not to cry. "Jute's grandfather was behind everything. The break-ins, Ramie's compulsion to break up with Jute, even my mother's 'accident'." Kurt broke off, needing a moment to calm himself.

"Dear god. Kasha I'm really very sorry to hear that," Carole insisted.

"Thank you," Kasha replied with a weary smile.

Carole didn't have any idea who Ramie was, but she assumed that that news must have been crushing too. "Jute must be so upset."

"You have no idea," Kurt replied bitterly. "So much so that he's decided to stay on Sateen for the foreseeable… ever."

Kasha gave her son a tight hug. "Oh, Kurtling."

Burt put a consoling hand on Kurt's shoulders. "Come on, Kurt. Jute's just embarrassed right now. Give him a couple of days to get used to this, and I'm sure he'll realize how stupid he's being pushing you away."

Kurt pulled away from them both, not comforted at all. "Ramie knows now that Captain Rush basically brainwashed him into breaking up with Jute. What if in the next 'couple of days' Ramie pushes to get them back together?" Burt didn't have an answer to that. Neither did Kasha.

Surprisingly though, Finn did. "That Caysi guy seems to really like you. I'll bet if you call him, he'll help you figure out how to get Jute back."

* * *

Once again, Prince Caysi proved willing to provide more assistance than Kurt could have ever asked. Jute had decided that he was going to clear his things out of the Embassy House, and was feeling awkward enough these days that he was doing it alone. With Caysi's complicity, Kurt was able to find out exactly when Jute would be there and arrive a few seconds ahead of him.

Jute almost dropped the box of books he'd accumulated in his few days at McKinley when he first saw Kurt leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "Kurt! What are you doing here?"

Kurt had tried his best to maintain his cool demeanor in coming here, but seeing the yearning and slight dread in Jute's eyes almost undid him. "I would have thought that was obvious. I'm here for you."

Jute hung his head, but his voice was the calm maturity Kurt had come to expect from him. "Kurt, I really wish I could let go of this. But I can't. Whether you've forgiven me or not-"

"I've never-" Kurt interjected.

"Notwithstanding," Jute allowed. "I look at you and I feel shame. I can't live my entire life like that. It would destroy us. Maybe in a couple of years-"

"Look at me," Kurt demanded. When Jute didn't, Kurt stepped forward and literally tilted his head up. "You can't live the rest of your life feeling badly about something you didn't do. Even a couple of years is too long."

"I know. But I can't help how I feel."

Kurt sighed, trying to be as gentle as possible while noting, "Well how you feel is STUPID."

Jute's head had pretty much sunk down again by that point, but at Kurt's words it snapped back up again. "That's unusually harsh."

"Not really," Kurt told him. "I've just never had to be that brutally honest with you. But you haven't left me with a lot of options."

Jute seemed to consider that. There was still guilt running all over his face, but it was working in their favor now. "What would you have me do?"

Kurt smiled at that. "I have a proposal for you. Well, two proposals actually. My grandmother wants me to go in for the advanced water shaping training, which I can't return to Sateen for until I graduate here.

"I told her how you've adapted what you've learned into something I can use," Kurt revealed. "She's willing to pay to have you stay here and continue training me."

Jute was surprised to hear about Bebe's approval of this scheme of Kurt's. "I thought your grandmother would use this as an opportunity to lure you back to Sateen."

"I did too," Kurt admitted. "I'm starting to think she's coming to actually like Earth."

"It's a beautiful world." A smile; one uncomplicated by dark thoughts. Perhaps this might work after all.

"It has the advantage of having much fewer people on it who might look askance at you over what your grandfather did," Kurt pointed out. "And as you would be helping shorten the length of my official studies, it might help you with your guilt issues. We can call it atonement if you'd like."

Jute was tempted, Kurt could see that. There was a long pause before Jute finally answered. But when he did it seemed like Kurt might have actually vanquished the demons in him. "You have a good head for business, Kurt. I will consider your offer. So what was your second proposal?"

Kurt blushed a little at that. It was one thing to pull rank on Ramie. He wasn't completely comfortable teasing Jute with it, especially under the circumstances. "Well. I've gone over your resignation as my boyfriend. And I've decided not to accept it."

"You're not?" Jute replied, surprised.

But he didn't really seem bothered by it, which gave Kurt the courage to continue. "No. So what I have is actually a counter-proposal for you. Since I don't seem to be able to tell you I don't blame you, I'll need to show you. Ergo instead of breaking up, I think we should have sex."

Jute knew intellectually that it was fairly easy to get out of Sateen duel tunics and pants. But that didn't prepare him for how quickly Kurt's ended up in a small pile at his feet.

"Kurt you can't be serious," he gasped, shocked.

"I'm standing naked and aroused in your kitchen," Kurt deadpanned. "If I haven't proven my sincerity yet, I'm not sure what's going to do it."

Jute's eyes washed over Kurt's body, desire sweeping away that sad, awkward Jute that angered and hurt Kurt so much. Seduction was an old trick but Kurt hoped it would work. But Jute shook his head, annoyed at himself. "No."

"Jute-"

"Kurt I want you more than I can say," Jute admitted. "But bad enough that I feel shame for what my family has done to you. If I let you sell yourself to me like this, I would never be able to look upon you again."

"I know that."

"Then why try to bribe me like this?" Jute demanded calmly.

"Actually, the job was the bribe," Kurt countered. He'd be angry if it weren't for the fact that Jute wasn't refusing over guilt. This was the old Jute; the one who wouldn't invite Kurt for a round of meaningless sex because Kurt was too 'earthen.' "This was supposed to be for US."

"Oh." Jute smiled, taking the hand Kurt had on his chin and kissing it. "Well in that case, I accept BOTH of your generous offers." And then faster than Kurt could have expected (especially given how tall Kurt was), Jute swept Kurt up into his arms and carried him to the bedroom.

"That's more like it," Kurt laughed.

Jute laughed in return. "You are unbelievable," he replied in awe. His laughter quieted as he looked down Kurt's body again, but his awe didn't go anywhere. "So beautiful. I am so in love with you."

Kurt's heart leapt into his throat and he couldn't speak at first. "I-I love you, too. Too much to let this go without a fight."

"Your grandmother has taught you well," Jute told him, completely admitting defeat.

"Jute, we're having sex," Kurt replied. "Don't bring up my grandmother."

"Deal." Jute leaned into Kurt's arms and kissed him hard.

Kurt ran his hands over Jute's chest, buttons flipping open as they passed. As soon as Jute's shirt was on the floor Kurt sighed in pleasure. "Best idea I've ever had."

Jute's mouth slid down Kurt's throat, increasing the pitch of Kurt's moans. "Agreed," Jute answered. "So if I can ask: if you didn't feel pressured into this, what was it that made you decide to seduce me?"

"[Page 15, subsection C] of those shockingly complete and annotated notes of yours," Kurt told him.

Jute looked up from Kurt's neck with a raised eyebrow. "Really? You constantly surprise me, Holiness."

Kurt smiled down on him. "I've got a fair grasp of the theoretical. But I could use some practice, if you don't mind."

"Mind?" Jute chuckled. "By the time I'm through with you, the neighbors will be BEGGING for those notes."

* * *

When Caysi arrived at Bebe's sitting room, it was pretty much back to the way he remembered it. The biggest difference being that it was Kasha waiting for him. "Kasha! I- Wasn't expecting you." He almost fled, but he reminded himself that he was innocent in his father's schemes. And Kasha certainly didn't appear angry with him.

"My mother invited you here to underline that she doesn't hold what your father did against you," Kasha told him. "I wanted to do the same thing."

"Well, thank you," Caysi replied, releasing some of the anxiety he still felt. "I spoke to Prince Kurt-Hummel before I came here. I suspect the difficulties between him and my nephew are being resolved as well."

Kasha smiled, pleased. "That's a relief. I appreciate the effort you've put into helping them."

Caysi had thought he'd feel very pleased with himself. He certainly would have twenty years ago. But at Kasha's words he frowned. "I can only hope my nephew will forgive me for it. I wonder if not telling Jute I'd sent Kurt-Hummel to intercept him was something like how my father got started."

Kasha frowned as well, but it was out of concern. "I don't agree."

"I don't know that we can know how one starts on that path. And living in that house, I fear that I've gotten what the Earthers call a 'head start.'"

"If you're trying to convince me that Aramid raised you to be wicked, you're wasting your breath," Kasha insisted.

"But if-" Caysi broke off, unable to voice his fears.

"How about this?" Kasha suggested. "If you feel the need to meddle again, you can confess it to me. As long as you're not ashamed to admit it, it can't be that bad."

Caysi grinned. Now that was a conscience far more appealing than the one he already had. "You have a deal."

"[Prince Caysi.]" Bebe appeared at the door, smiling with delight at the scene before her.

"[Mother,]" Kasha greeted. "[Now that you're here, I'll take my leave.]" Kasha stopped once she took her mother's place at the door, turning back to face Caysi. "You're grown up a lot since we once worked together, Caysi. I like it."

Bebe sat down across from Caysi, understanding enough of what had been said to feel hopeful. "[A shame I seemed to have interrupted.]"

Caysi had practically been beaming as Kasha walked out. But with that he shook his head, memories of his father's machinations making him uncomfortable with his own feelings. "[Please no, Lifeblood. It's one thing that we're still friends. It's twenty years past time I stopped thinking of that.]"

Bebe shrugged. "[It's not why I called you here, in any case. The council has finished their deliberations.]"

"[Already?]" Caysi replied, surprised. Although in theory the naming of a new president was a simple matter of examining various qualifications, after what had happened Caysi had expected the decision would take much longer this time.

"[There was only one candidate who scored high enough in the required fields to satisfy everyone,]" Bebe told him. "[Congratulations.]"

Well that was certainly unexpected. "[Me? I would have thought that after my father-]"

Bebe waved off his concerns. "[If we disqualified everyone your father used and tricked over the last few years, we'd have no president at all. I really hope you won't let that stop you from accepting the post.]"

Caysi almost said no. But then he remembered Kasha's promise to be the angel on his shoulder. And he knew that with that support he wouldn't go wrong. "[If I have the support of you, and the rest of the council, then I accept.]"

Bebe beamed at him again, waving him to sit down across from her. "[Excellent. Tea?]"

"[Of course.]" And it was an indication of just how pleased Bebe was at this development that she poured herself tea as well, not just water. Caysi let his worries slide for now, letting other memories come to the surface. "[I was surprised to see Christopher-Hudson's boy here with your grandson the other day. I didn't know they were practically brothers.]"

"[Indeed,]" Bebe replied. "[I was pleasantly surprised myself. That's actually why I chose to reveal my presence to them both all those months ago, rather than wait until Kurt was alone. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though. Kurt no doubt sensed what I did.]"

Caysi raised an eyebrow at that. "[Then he's…?]"

"[Not so far as I've seen. But I think it's a possibility.]"

"[Does he know?]" Caysi asked.

Bebe shook her head. "[He knows his father was a hero. Anything else can wait until it becomes necessary.]"

Caysi thought about Finn-Hudson's father, and all those difficulties so long ago. It was a short move to thinking about that day Kasha had called to tell him about the funeral. Caysi often wondered if things might have been different if he'd stayed on Earth. "[Chris was a good friend to me, when I didn't particularly want one. I could wish-]"

"[Don't,]" Bebe counseled. "[Take it from someone with an excess of regrets. You would think feeling guilty might at least make other people happy, but my daughter assures me it's just tiresome.]"

Caysi nodded, still lost in thought. "[What happened with Chris might have just been random happenstance,]" he considered. "[If it's not, Lifeblood? I would very much like to be there when you tell him the truth about who his father was.]"

Bebe nodded with a pleased smile. "[If it comes to that, Mr. President, then I assure you that you most certainly will be.]"

The End

Kurt Hummel will return in 'The Star Child'


End file.
